Cybersecurity Lessons from the Global Outage

July 19, 2024 a single preventable mistake plunged the world into chaos. Global air travel ground to a halt, banks suddenly closed, and surgeries were canceled—all due to a singular oversight in a routine software update.

CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity titan renowned for its investigations into the 2014 Sony Pictures hack and the 2015-2016 Democratic National Committee hack, found itself at the heart of this crisis. Despite its stellar reputation, faulty code in a routine update in July led to a catastrophic loss of billions of dollars.

No CISO wants to be associated with headlines like “largest IT failure in history.” By the end of that day, CrowdStrike’s shares plummeted 38.09 points, or 11.10%. This was the stuff of nightmares. 

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What can we learn from this disruption?

Interestingly, this global IT disruption wasn't caused by a cyberattack. On July 19, users installing a routine Windows software update encountered the dreaded “blue screen of death,” signaling a critical error. Every affected system required a manual restart by an IT administrator with the necessary permissions. 

Major companies like Delta Airlines had flights grounded for days, blood banks couldn't process donors, and businesses worldwide had to undergo manual restarts. The recovery effort cost countless hours and sleepless nights.

At the core of this disruption was a "kernel-level" issue. The kernel, the central part of an operating system, manages system resources and communication between hardware and software. It operates with the highest level of privileges, granting direct access to all systems and the ability to execute any instruction. Only the most privileged users have system-wide access in tiered permission systems.

To prevent tragedies like the CrowdStrike outage, CISOs and IT professionals must protect their code and customers diligently. Frequent code updates require a safe testing environment, a “sandbox,” to verify updates before large-scale rollouts. Skipping or forgetting steps can lead to disruptive and costly problems. 

This incident isn't the first high-profile mistake to cause bad publicity, and transparency in the investigation will yield valuable lessons.

Managers must establish and rigorously test processes, even for routine updates. This includes comprehensive training and adherence checks for the entire IT team. The global impact of the disruption and the frustrations felt by affected professionals and customers underscore the importance of these measures. 

senhasegura CEO Marcus Scharra praised CrowdStrike’s crisis management, stating:

“CrowdStrike is one of the most impressive companies in the world. Their response to the July 19 disruption is a master class in crisis management. It took senhasegura almost a decade to build a world-leading product, and CrowdStrike has been an inspiration every step of the way. Everyone at senhasegura is taking notes on how to grow through adversity and become an even stronger company.”

senhasegura, a global provider of Privileged Access Management (PAM) solutions, focuses on monitoring and protecting privileged accounts with enhanced permissions. Serving clients ranging from large corporations like Brazilian bank Itaú Unibanco Holding SA to small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMBs), senhasegura offers a nimble and cost-effective partnership in cybersecurity. 

For smaller businesses, recovery from such disruptions can be financially devastating, making preventative measures and trusted cybersecurity partners essential.

senhasegura's innovations guard against reputation-damaging attacks, emphasizing the importance of earning and maintaining trust. Visit our resources library to learn practical tactics to shield against preventable PR nightmares.

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senhasegura specializes in Privileged Access Management (PAM). Our solutions secure privileged information, mitigate insider threats, and ensure compliance with industry standards like PCI DSS and ISO 27001. Our award-winning 360º Privilege Platform offers comprehensive protection for critical assets with a Zero Trust-based architecture. We pride ourselves on our agility, transparency, and customer-centric approach, and aim to earn customers’ trust as we empower them to thrive safely in a dynamic digital world.

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