What can organisations learn from the CrowdStrike incident?
The recent IT outage caused by a seemingly routine software update by CrowdStrike has been described by many as the “worst global IT outage in years”. The major cyber incident impacted airlines, media outlets, banks, healthcare providers and retailers worldwide – particularly those using Microsoft Windows operating systems.
The BBC reported that: “Microsoft says it estimates that 8.5 million computers around the world were disabled by the global IT outage[…]and suggests it could be the worst cyber event in history.”
The fallout of overreliance on software
Organisations are now, of course, re-assessing their business continuity and resilience plans, along with their reliance on third parties to maintain operational functionality.
The CrowdStrike incident may become acknowledged as a pivotal moment regarding how much everyone relies on a small handful of suppliers to remain operationally viable at any given time.
Organisations are considering just how vulnerable they are when these critical incidents occur and because everyone has become reliant on systems that sit outside their control.
Alleviating risk and protecting organisations from similar events
There are two fundamental issues to consider and address:
Dependency on technology
In recent times, we have seen a major shift to cloud computing, with organisations relying on a small number of major tech giants for their computing needs instead of their own infrastructure.
And that reliance is often total, with no plan B in place to maintain continuity if the technology lets them down. A contingency plan will look different for every organisation, but we must all consider what we would do if any number business interruptions occurred.
As a result of technology letting us down, the impact of such IT events are more far-reaching and widespread than they would have been in the past.
Reliance on big vendors
Because so many organisations use the same systems and third-party services, when things go wrong the impact can be globally significant and catastrophic.
The CrowdStrike incident may well be the best example (to date) of the risk of relying too heavily on big vendor-offered cyber protection – without additional contingency plans. Those impacted will have suffered reputational and financial damage, and the fallout is likely to continue for some time to come.
Business continuity
The CrowdStrike incident has emphasised the need for effective planning for what to do when disaster strikes. Adequate business continuity planning will ensure a more effective response and a quicker recovery, when the worst happens.
A business continuity plan is a strategic document, essential to ensuring an organisation can maintain its core business functions in the face of disruption. While the CrowdStrike incident was a non-deliberate act, much of business continuity planning will focus on the potential for deliberate acts or threats – such as a cyber attack.
A significant lesson from the CrowdStrike incident is the importance of fully reviewing the reliance on the third parties key to business operations and how to navigate the hours, days or weeks without them being available.
Business continuity planning from the experts
Our cyber security specialists are available to discuss any concerns you may have following the CrowdStrike incident. We can help you create an effective business continuity plan or review your existing plan.
For support and guidance with your business continuity plan, please contact the Moore ClearComm team.
