5 On Your Side: Shielding against cyber attacks is vital

TLDR:

• A massive IT outage affected 911 services, hospital systems, and airlines due to a faulty CrowdStrike update.
• Preventative measures include testing updates on a small group and diversifying cyber security systems.

A cybersecurity expert mentioned that the recent outage caused by a faulty update from CrowdStrike is one of the largest IT outages he’s ever seen. This outage affected critical services like 911, hospitals, and airlines. Businesses and organizations can take preventive steps to avoid such incidents in the future, such as testing updates on a small group of systems before releasing them organization-wide. Additionally, diversifying cyber security systems can reduce the impact of a potential outage, although managing multiple systems may require more effort.

If an incident does occur, having the right support team and contacts at vendors is essential to respond effectively. By being prepared for such emergencies, companies can minimize the impact of cyber attacks and IT outages on their operations.

Full Article:

A cybersecurity expert told WRAL the outage that took down 911 services, hospital systems, and airlines is the largest IT outage he’s ever seen. 5 On Your Side investigated what businesses and organizations can do to prepare or prevent such incidents. Brian Haugli, the CEO of cyber security company SideChannel, highlighted two key preventative measures that companies should take to avoid such massive outages.

On Friday, CrowdStrike pushed an update that caused servers to malfunction, impacting computers running CrowdStrike Falcon solution and Microsoft Windows. Haugli emphasized the importance of testing updates on a small group of systems before wide release. Diversifying cyber security systems can also help mitigate the impact of potential outages, although managing multiple systems may present challenges.

According to Haugli, having the right support team and contacts at vendors is crucial for responding effectively to incidents. By being prepared and proactive, organizations can better protect themselves from cyber attacks and IT outages.