Microsoft's global outage: Our 'window' to chaos

When attempting to sabotage a VVIP’s car, one approach is to directly tamper with the specific car, such as cutting its brake lines. However, due to extensive security measures, this would be challenging.A more insidious method would be to target the supplier of the brake pads used by the VVIP’s entire convoy. By introducing faulty brake pads into the supply chain, all the cars in the convoy could be compromised with a single action. This strategy allows for a broader impact with a hidden, yet highly effective, attack.Now, think of your computer as similar to the VVIP’s car. If a hacker wants to attack your computer, they could attempt a direct assault on the machine itself. Alternatively, they could implant malware into various components used to build the software your computer relies on. These components might include software for mathematical calculations, graphics processing, or cybersecurity, each developed by different vendors. By compromising these components, an attacker could indirectly undermine the entire system.An insidious threat | Yesterday, millions of Windows computers experienced the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD). This is a critical error screen displayed by the Windows operating system when it encounters a severe system error from which it cannot recover. The BSOD indicates that the operating system has reached a state where it can no longer function safely, leading to its shutting down to prevent further damage. This results in a blue screen with an error code and a message that indicates the cause of the crash, prompting users to restart their computers.The widespread nature of BSOD in this scenario is akin to sabotaging the brake pad supplier. Just as a faulty brake pad could cause multiple cars in the VVIP’s convoy to fail, a widespread issue with a software component can lead to massive disruptions across many systems.What caused the issue? | CrowdStrike, a leading cybersecurity platform, holds a 19% market share in endpoint security. Its faulty update caused Microsoft’s operating system to crash, leading to numerous instances of BSOD. CrowdStrike’s flagship product, Falcon, uses a single sensor and a unified threat interface to monitor and protect endpoints, workloads, and identities. Falcon Identity Threat Protection is designed to prevent identity-driven breaches in real time by correlating attacks across various vectors.Was this incident a deliberate attack or a quality control error? Currently, it appears to be a mistake from CrowdStrike’s quality control. However, this incident resulted in significant disruption, affecting critical sectors such as hospitals, airports, and other essential services. IT and security teams need to work around the clock to resolve the issue because the fix released by CrowdStrike needs to be performed manually.In the engineering world, there is a humorous yet wise saying: “Never deploy updates on Fridays.” This advice stems from the risk of issues arising when most of the team is off for the weekend. Deploying updates end of the week can lead to unforeseen problems that require urgent fixes. Avoiding Friday deployments ensures that the workweek is available to address any complications and maintain system stability.Dependence & complications | In today’s interconnected world, almost every aspect of our lives is linked to computer systems. This includes critical infra such as hospitals and airports, as well as everyday conveniences like banking and shopping. Disruptions in these systems can have far-reaching impacts, from the inconvenience of being unable to make a purchase to life-threatening delays in medical care.For example, modern healthcare heavily relies on computer systems for patient records, diagnostic tools, and even life-support machines. One real-world example is the cyberattack on Düsseldorf University Hospital in 2020, which caused system failures, leading to the emergency redirection of a critically ill patient to a more distant hospital. This delay in medical treatment tragically resulted in the patient’s death. Such incidents clearly illustrate the critical need for robust cybersecurity measures to protect both our digital infra and human well-being.Security is going to be paramount, and it’s not going to be easy. This BSOD incident underscores the risk of future supply chain attacks by malicious groups, highlighting the need for rigorous security practices, comprehensive quality assurance, and improved vigilance throughout the supply chain.The writer is CEO of cybersecurity start-up