CROWDSTRIKE ERROR STRIKES CAYMAN AND SHOWS HOW EXPOSED WE ARE…ALSO

BY Staff Writer

You could say that it almost brought the world to a standstill - and you wouldn’t be too far off the mark.

A worldwide IT (information technology) glitch this past week has caused (and is still causing havoc) in many countries, Cayman included and in industries across the globe.

While there is some comfort with the company which has admitted fault for the outage confirming that was not a hack or some other sinister cyberattack, the extent of the disruption continues to inconvenience governments, businesses and citizens around the world.

Work has been continuing on fixing the problem, but the company which has accepted responsibility - and other IT experts - say it could take days and possibly weeks for the matter to be resolved.

American cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike said the issue has only affected its customers running Microsoft Windows, the world’s most popular operating system for personal computers.

However, the knock-on impact on other systems and software programmes has been crippling, with many systems rendered inaccessible or otherwise inoperable and many companies, governments and citizens having to resort to paper, handwritten documents or other methods considered ‘primitive’ in today’s technology-driven world.

CAYMAN IMPACT

In regular updates on corrective steps being taken locally, the Cayman Islands Government(CIG) reported that its Computer Services Department has made further progress in resolving the recent issue affecting government systems. It reported a work rate of “roughly 250 machines being resolved per hour.”

“The Computer Services Department is actively resolving all workstations across the government. We appreciate your patience and understanding during this period. Further updates will be provided as more information becomes available.”

When the problem first hit, it had advised the public that “the Computer Services Department is working with CrowdStrike on a necessary fix and is urgently striving to resolve this issue as quickly as possible. During this time, many public-facing services will be impacted. We ask for your patience and understanding.”

Across the private sector as well locally, a range of services from banking to retail, travel and medical services have suffered disruptions similar to the pattern of outages worldwide.

BLUESCREEN BLUES

The CrowdStrike update meant to improve computer and cyber security, paradoxically itself contributed to the very problem it was trying to fix.

IT experts have explained that the update was meant to make systems more secure against hacking, but instead caused devices to display a “blue screen of death” due to faulty code.

CrowdStrike is an American cybersecurity firm founded in 2011 and based in Austin, Texas.  It offers a range of security services using cloud-based software and has grown rapidly since its inception with thousands of workers and clients across the globe.

Of the many analyses coming out of this major incident are those focusing on the global reliance on information technology (IT) and its internet-driven services and support systems. With the consequential vulnerabilities, the emphasis on effective security systems - both as part of a network and on individual units - has become even more urgent given the risks and the potential for disruption...either accidentally or literally at the ‘hands’ of sinister operatives.