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CrowdStrike Global Outage: Coincidence or Conspiracy?

By Nico Lagan
July 22, 2024
By Nico Lagan
July 22, 2024

Last Friday, we experienced one of the most significant IT outages the world has ever seen. Airports, hospitals, banks, and some of the biggest companies in the world like Microsoft and Amazon were affected.

But before we look at what happened, it’s essential to understand who they are, what they and who owns them…

Who is CrowdStrike?

CrowdStrike is an American cybersecurity company based in Austin, Texas. They are responsible for the cybersecurity needs of some of the largest corporations globally. For instance, the Defense Department has invested over 55 million dollars in CrowdStrike’s services, and they are just one of 16 US Government agencies utilizing their expertise.

What do they do?

In simple terms, CrowdStrike provides services designed to protect their clients from cyberattacks. Their primary goal is to safeguard companies from internet hackers.

Who owns them?

CrowdStrike is a publicly traded company that is owned by many, but it is worth noting that both Vanguard and BlackRock are major owners of CrowdStrike, at 8.2% and 7.4%, respectively.

 

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What happened?

From what we know so far, this global outage wasn’t the result of a cyberattack but rather a software update that went wrong, causing Windows platforms to experience the infamous blue screen of death.

To break it down, CrowdStrike updated their software much like how your phone updates. However, instead of rebooting with new features, the system got stuck in an endless loop of restarting without ever fully loading.

In my previous career as a sales engineer, I worked with major North American telecommunications companies, selling cybersecurity services. Based on my experience, something seems off here. It’s highly unlikely that a company like CrowdStrike would release an update that hadn’t been thoroughly tested to ensure it worked perfectly. These updates are not only extensively tested but also come with contingency plans in case something goes wrong.

Interestingly, within the same week, we witnessed a failed assassination attempt on a former president, Donald Trump, the current president withdrawing from the presidential race, and one of the world’s most significant IT outages. Are these events connected? It’s up to you to decide.

One thing is for sure: I do not believe in coincidences…

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