How the CrowdStrike Outage Brought Down Utilities, Regulators and Even the DOE

A few weeks ago, millions of people across the country woke up to find that many of the routine functions powering our society—the things we don’t even think about because they’re so seamlessly integrated within our lives—were no longer working as they should. Retailers were unable to accept credit card transactions. Entire airlines paused their operations. Many individuals and businesses couldn’t even access essential city services or pay their utility bills.

You’ve likely seen by now that the meltdown was caused by a faulty software update from CrowdStrike, a company that provides technology to businesses and governments around the world. As news spread that the failure was the result of a faulty technical update, it alleviated the immediate concern of many: Despite our collective concerns about digital security, this outage was not the result of a cyberattack.

Although it’s a relief to know our essential technologies weren’t compromised by bad actors this time, the situation sheds light on the complexity (and fragility) of the digital systems powering our world. Whether by cyberattacks or software flaws, the online infrastructure that exists to meet our everyday needs is susceptible to errors in more ways than we might realize, and our power systems are no exception.

The CrowdStrike outage left the Department of Energy’s website out of operation for several hours. Duke Energy, which serves more than seven million customers across the southeastern United States, suffered short-term interruptions to its web services. Georgia Power had to pause electricity service disconnects for multiple days due to the prolonged unavailability of online payment systems.

This all comes on the heels of the Colonial Pipeline cyberattack in 2021, which resulted in a days-long outage of the pipeline system responsible for transporting nearly half of the East Coast’s fuel supply. The security breach left consumers in many cities scrambling to find gasoline and served as a stark example of how digital threats can disrupt everyday life in the real world.

Fortunately, most disruptions to our power systems caused by the recent CrowdStrike outage were primarily administrative in nature, but it certainly isn’t difficult to imagine another situation where technology failure affects our access to energy more directly. In this worst-case scenario, those who choose to diversify their power sources are going to have a significant advantage. The decision to establish a reliable flow of electricity that isn’t drawn from the larger power grid leaves you less susceptible to the consequences of any damaging large-scale events, whether it’s due to unintentional software errors or something more malicious.

Although there’s no single, flawless solution to keep you guarded from the threats facing our digital landscape, there’s a recurring theme: adding a new source of power is an undeniably wise decision. Recent reports exploring ways we can be more prepared to remedy the fragilities of our energy systems highlight the establishment of resilient infrastructure (like buildings with more than one power source).

Our Connected Microgrid® solution offers a straightforward path to a novel supply of energy. By establishing a fully functional solar array on your property, you’ll be generating and utilizing clean energy right from your own building (and it’s a stark contrast to the nationwide network of wires and power plants that are necessary parts of the traditional power grid). Businesses benefiting from a Connected Microgrid have the option to enhance their localized energy resources by implementing battery storage, offering a temporary backup supply of power in the moments when it’s needed most.

While their benefits are vast, it would be misleading to suggest microgrids and their associated infrastructure are an impenetrable source of protection within the digital ecosystem. The FBI and others warn that small-scale renewable energy resources are also vulnerable to cybersecurity threats, recommending that best practices for any kind of online behavior should also be applied to the maintenance of distributed energy systems.

Still, the landscape for secure energy systems is changing on a daily—the Department of Energy just released a new set of high-level principles for cybersecurity surrounding power infrastructure in June—and distributed energy technologies like microgrids place greater control in your hands.

It pays off to put effort toward the development of a stronger energy system before moments of crisis arrive. (By the way, it also pays off in a very literal sense—on-site power generation can save you money from day one.) Connect with our team and explore the ways you can bring greater resilience to your business with a new, clean source of energy.