Ever had one of those days where everything just seems to crash and burn? Well, in this episode, we dive into a tech catastrophe that sent ripples across the digital landscape. Donna and David will unravel the chaos caused by CrowdStrike’s major tech outage—a meltdown that wasn’t just an ordinary hiccup, but a vendor-of-a-vendor fiasco. From blue screens of death to grounded flights, this incident highlights the domino effect a single update can have on the entire supply chain.
In this episode:
CrowdStrike’s Major Tech Outage – Ep 469
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405(d) Tip of the Week
[04:48]The 405(d) Post Volume XXV July 2024
Check out the opening segment A Word from the Task Group:
Do You Know The Risk?: The Urgent Need for Data Security in Healthcare AI
By Donna Grindle, 405(d) Task Group Ambassador Lead
Check out Harnessing the Power of AI for the webinar recordings and access to sample policies, procedures and checklists Donna shared in them. Kardon Club members have free access!
Inside CrowdStrike’s Crisis
[06:46] Today, we’re diving into the digital disaster that’s got everyone talking—CrowdStrike’s recent tumble following a major global tech outage. This isn’t just another tech blip; it’s a wake-up call for all of us. We’ll explore what happened, the ripple effects on the industry, and how leaders like CrowdStrike’s CEO George Kurtz are responding. Plus, we’ll revisit some lessons from episode 465, “Always BOLO,” to see how real-life incidents like this can help us build more resilient cybersecurity plans. Buckle up, because it’s going to be a bumpy ride!According to Crowdstrike:
On July 19, 2024 at [04:09] UTC [12:09] AM EDT], as part of ongoing operations, CrowdStrike released a sensor configuration update to Windows systems. Sensor configuration updates are an ongoing part of the protection mechanisms of the Falcon platform. This configuration update triggered a logic error resulting in a system crash and blue screen (BSOD) on impacted systems.
The sensor configuration update that caused the system crash was remediated on Friday, July 19, 2024 [05:27] UTC [1:27] AM EDT].
Systems running Falcon sensor for Windows 7.11 and above that downloaded the updated configuration from [04:09] UTC to [05:27] UTC – were susceptible to a system crash.
So it was out there installing for roughly an hour and half. Any Windows device that was updated during that time with a recent version of Falcon sensor on it was likely going to crash.
How the CrowdStrike outage unfolded — a timeline – East Idaho News
- Overnight Thu into Friday several states report they have 911 service outages.
- Between 2-3am the FAA announces all Delta, American, United, Allegiant flights grounded. Spirit says they have system issues.
- Between 5-6am several northeastern public transit systems are impacted including delays with trains and buses with systems going offline.
- Between 6-7am White House National Security Council confirms they are investigating the situation that does not seem the result of malicious activity.
- Global banking disruptions are also now being reported.
At this point it is clear there is a major, global IT issue bringing down major parts of the world’s ability to operate. By late morning Several health systems announce they are impacted. Some are reporting delays while others are rescheduling non-emergent surgeries and some other appointments. Medical disruptions continue for the rest of the day. Blood Centers of America says it has delays in reporting test results and NY Blood Center says there will be a 12-24 hour delay in getting results. Blood Assurance, another supplier of blood to hospitals in the Southeast also announced delays due to flight delays and other outages.
CrowdStrike outage hits US hospitals | Healthcare Dive
Thankfully, it started getting resolved in bits and pieces pretty quickly. There is no way the industry could handle another major outage like we just endured with Change Healthcare’s debacle. Imagine if it took even a few minutes longer than that hour and half.
Healthcare Takes a Breath After CrowdStrike Scare | HealthLeaders Media
David’s likely well versed in this since one of the tools he relies on is CrowdStrike’s Falcon sensor.
What a mess!
[16:53] Overall this has been a huge mess.CrowdStrike shares tumble as fallout from global tech outage continues
Early on Friday, the company issued a defective update to its Falcon vulnerability-protection software that caused PCs, computer servers in data centers and display screens to crash, resulting in grounded flights and canceled medical appointments. The incident ensnared 8.5 million Windows devices, less than 1% of the global total, Microsoft said.
Meanwhile, hackers sought to take advantage of the confusion by setting up malicious websites that appeared to offer software updates.
Things that make you say hmmmm:
This is the 2nd time CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz has been at the center of a global tech failure
There are sites that provide assistance in getting things resolved from both CrowdStrike and MS plus CISA updates on the situation can be found at the links below:
Falcon Content Update Remediation and Guidance Hub | CrowdStrike
Widespread IT Outage Due to CrowdStrike Update | CISA
What can we learn from this?
[24:21] Just like we talked about a few weeks ago in our BOLO episode this situation should not be just another thing to get past. It should be something that you consider and plan to address should it happen to one of your vendors.CrowdStrike’s Nightmare IT Microsoft Outage Shouldn’t Be Normal – Bloomberg
“The bigger problem is the supply chain itself for cloud computing and, by extension, cyber security services, which has left too many companies and organizations vulnerable to a single point of failure. When just three companies — Microsoft, Amazon and Alphabet Inc.’s Google — dominate the market for cloud computing, one minor incident can have global ramifications.”
CrowdStrike’s latest ordeal is a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities lurking in our interconnected world. Whether it’s a massive outage or a sophisticated cyberattack, the key takeaway is the same: preparedness is everything. As we discussed in our “Always BOLO” episode, these situations are opportunities to learn and strengthen our defenses.
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