What the Tech: Cybersecurity expert talks global cybersecurity outage
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Last week’s widespread IT failure, caused by a faulty software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, disrupted businesses, airlines, hospitals, and media companies worldwide.
The incident left millions of s staring at the dreaded “Blue Screen of Death” and raised concerns about the vulnerability of our interconnected systems.
Cybersecurity expert David Malicoat awoke to news of the failure Friday. His reaction was probably not the same as most people.
“It did not surprise me that there was an issue with the rollout,” he said. “So from my perspective, I was not shocked, I was not alarmed. It was...’ oh man, it actually happened.” Milicoat is the Chief Information Security Officer of Direct Marketing Solutions.
He’s also host of the cyber security podcast “The Professional CISO Podcast.”
Milicoat is complimentary of CrowdStrike and its reputation as a world leader in cyber security protection.
“There’s a reason they’re the best. They’re a great company. Their tool is effective. So it’s not the case of bad people doing bad things. I think, honestly, it was a mistake.”
While not surprised by the occurrence of such an issue, Milicoat emphasized the gravity of the situation.
The fact that a leading cybersecurity company, entrusted with protecting industries from cyber threats, could inadvertently cause such widespread disruption highlights the potential for catastrophic consequences when critical systems rely on single points of failure.
“I do believe they owe us an explanation,” he said.
The outage eerily mirrored the scenario depicted in the movie “Leave the World Behind,” where essential services abruptly went offline. Malicoat pointed out that many critical industries depend on just three major cloud service providers: Google, Amazon, and Microsoft.
“Those are the big cloud providers and any of those goes down on a wide scale, we would see something very similar.”
The incident serves as a wake-up call for businesses to implement redundancies in their operating systems.
It also underscores our collective dependence on technology and the need for preparedness in the face of potential disruptions. Malicoat advises individuals to consider their personal reliance on technology and to have contingency plans in place for essential needs like water, electricity, and transportation.
While not intending to sound alarmist, the reality is that another mistake of this magnitude could happen again. The interconnectedness of our digital infrastructure, while offering numerous benefits, also creates vulnerabilities that can have far-reaching consequences.
The recent IT outage serves as a stark reminder that our reliance on technology, while essential, also exposes us to risks that demand proactive measures to ensure resilience and preparedness.
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