So… what did we learn on July 19th, 2024?
Friday, July 19th, the world was hit by a significant outage affecting Transport, Education, Broadcast, and so much more. The cause? Crowdstrike, a leading cybersecurity firm.
As businesses scrambled to restore normal operations, the incident underscored the importance of having a robust IT support strategy in place. In this blog post, we’ll delve into the details of the outage, what went wrong, and why having an IT support contract is essential for maintaining business security and continuity, especially in the digital age.
What Happened?
Early morning on Friday 19th, around 5am, Crowdstrike experienced a critical outage that disrupted its services globally. The company’s endpoint detection (anti-virus) and response (EDR) systems, threat intelligence, and cloud workload protection services were all affected. Businesses relying on Crowdstrike for cybersecurity were left with nothing, and many had to implement emergency protocols to overcome the issue.
The Root Cause
Initial investigations suggest that the outage was caused by Microsoft, but Microsoft later confirmed this was not them, it was later revealed the issue was an update pushed out overnight by Crowdstrike. Crowdstike’s endpoint definitions update (the database of threats to watch out for, essentially) was corrupted on its Windows version. This means that anyone using the Crowdstrike solution on Microsoft Windows lost access to their system, whilst Mac and Linux users were unaffected.
The issue was a database file downloaded in the root Windows folder, the main folder that runs any Microsoft machine.
The Puzzler
Some users experienced the “Blue Screen of Death”, or “BSOD” for short, a blue backdrop screen with white text containing error information, a common sight on Microsoft computers when there is a major problem, leaving many with the symptom to believe the problem was initially with Microsoft.
Others had perfectly working computers, but unable to use everyday services, such as booking-in systems, CRM’s, accounting packages, bank accounts, Visa cards, and more. This was because these services were hosted on the cloud and relying on external infrastructure that ran Crowdstrike, in other words, not using Crowdstrike directly.
The impact of the Crowdstrike outage was immediate and severe:
- Operational Disruptions: Many organisations experienced downtime, affecting productivity and service delivery.
- Financial Losses: The costs associated with this loss quickly added up and will continue to.
The Importance of an IT Support Contract with maintenance
This incident highlights the critical need for businesses to have a reliable IT support partner.
Companies with a maintenance agreement in place are the ones with assurance to minimal or no disruption, thankfully, this incident was a rolled out glitch, but, it is important to acknowledge, this disruption could have easily have been a result of a threat, which would have had a far greater consequence.
Here’s why an IT support contract with Pink Pinewood can make all the difference:
1. 24/7 Support
- Around-the-Clock Monitoring: Pink Pinewood offers continuous monitoring of your IT infrastructure, ensuring that any anomalies are detected and addressed promptly.
- Immediate Assistance: In the event of an issue, having access to a team of IT professionals who can provide immediate support is invaluable. This minimises downtime and helps maintain business continuity.
2. Proactive Maintenance
- Regular Updates and Patches: Pink Pinewood ensures that all your systems are kept up to date with the latest security patches and software updates, reducing the risk of vulnerabilities.
- Routine Health Checks: Scheduled maintenance and health checks help identify and resolve potential issues before they become major problems.
- Silent reviewing: We work in the background most of the time, the important stuff is handled for you, so you can sit back knowing you’re being looked after by a team of professionals.
3. Enhanced Security
- Comprehensive Security Solutions: Pink Pinewood provides a range of security services, from firewalls and antivirus protection to advanced threat detection and response, and don’t worry, we test it ourselves before we launch it!
- Backup and Recovery: Reliable backup solutions ensure that your data is always protected and can be quickly restored in the event of an outage or cyberattack.
4. Business Continuity
- Disaster Recovery Planning: Pink Pinewood assists in creating and maintaining a robust disaster recovery plan, ensuring that your business can quickly recover from any IT disruptions.
- Scalable Solutions: As your business grows, Pink Pinewood can scale its services to meet your evolving needs, ensuring continuous protection and support.
Conclusion
The Crowdstrike outage on Friday, July 19th, 2024, serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities inherent in our increasingly digital world. Businesses must be proactive in securing their IT infrastructure and ensuring continuous support. An IT support contract with Pink Pinewood provides the essential services needed to protect your business, maintain operational continuity, and prevent potential issues before they escalate. Don’t wait for the next outage to highlight your vulnerabilities—partner with Pink Pinewood today and safeguard your business against the uncertainties of tomorrow.
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