Crowdstrike and lazy sysadmin
A faulty update to CrowdStrike’s security software on July 19, 2024, caused widespread crashes of Microsoft Windows systems.
This incident led to significant disruptions, including grounded flights and interrupted broadcasts.
Context: It’s a busy day at a tech company. The CISO (Chief Information Security Officer) is relieved after a major Microsoft outage is resolved. The sysadmin, Alex, is feeling proud but also a bit nervous.
CISO: “Alex, you did an amazing job today! You saved us during that global Microsoft outage. The whole company is grateful!”
Alex: “Thanks, boss! It was a team effort.”
CISO: “By the way, I noticed our systems were running smoothly. Did you update all our security software too?”
Alex (nervously): “Well, about that… I might have missed the latest CrowdStrike update.”
CISO: “Wait, what? You mean the update that caused all those crashes?”
Alex: “Yeah, I guess I dodged a bullet there. So, technically, not updating saved us this time!”
CISO (laughing): “Well, Alex, I guess sometimes being a hero means knowing when not to update!”