Lessons From the CrowdStrike Outage

Imagine this: 8.5 million Windows devices, including those at airlines, banks, and hospitals, suddenly show the dreaded “Blue Screen of Death.” Panic sets in, with many fearing a massive cyber-attack. Fortunately, this wasn’t the case, but what actually happened is still a serious concern for any business owner.

What Exactly Happened?

On July 19, 2024, millions of Windows devices around the world crashed. They got stuck in an endless reboot cycle, displaying the blue screen that no one wants to see. The impact was massive. Airlines had to ground flights, leaving travelers stranded at airports. Health records systems went offline, causing delays and cancellations of medical appointments and procedures. Even major banks couldn’t function properly, leaving customers unable to access their accounts. It became one of the largest IT outages in history. 

If It Wasn’t a Cyber-Attack, What Caused It?

Although people feared it was a hack, the real issue was a failed software update from CrowdStrike, a top cybersecurity company. Their endpoint detection and response (EDR) platform, Falcon, pushed an update specifically for Windows devices. Unfortunately, there was a flaw in the update that caused the systems to crash.

So, how did such a big mistake happen? CrowdStrike later revealed that their testing software had a gap, which failed to detect the issue in the update before it was released. By the time they realized it, the damage was done. The result? Billions of dollars in losses, with Fortune 500 companies in the U.S. expected to face over $5.4 billion in costs. 

Why Should You Care?

This incident is a reminder of just how crucial technology is to businesses and how a single software issue can cause widespread chaos. When it comes to your company’s technology management, there is no substitute for having three things:

  1. A reliable, knowledgeable IT professional managing your network
    Accidents happen even in large organizations, as seen with CrowdStrike, but you can reduce your odds of being caught up in an issue like this by working with an experienced IT team. Their expertise and knowledge in updates, backups and constant awareness keep your operations running smoothly and prevent minor hiccups from escalating into full-blown disasters.
  2. Rigorous Software Testing
    If you have a reliable IT team, they should handle this for you.
  3. A robust disaster recovery plan
    Mistakes will happen, and you need to be prepared to take action quickly so you can continue doing business and mitigate damage quickly. Many organizations affected by this outage had to pause business because they had no action plan for a disaster like this. Don’t be caught without plan B if something like this happens in your organization.

Don’t Wait for a Crisis

Don’t wait until you’re hit with a catastrophe to act. Ensure your business is prepared by partnering with an experienced IT team. We offer a FREE, no-obligation Network Assessment where our team of experts will evaluate your current systems, identify potential vulnerabilities and develop a comprehensive plan to safeguard your business against future outages. Your company’s security and continuity depend on it.

Call us at 505-792-2375 or click here to book a call with one of our pros.