#Microsoft #MicrosoftOutage #Tech
A major Microsoft outage has meant businesses worldwide cannot operate, with numerous flights grounded and banking apps down.
So, what actually caused it?
#Microsoft #MicrosoftOutage #Tech
A major Microsoft outage has meant businesses worldwide cannot operate, with numerous flights grounded and banking apps down.
So, what actually caused it?
#Microsoft #MicrosoftOutage #Tech
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NewsTranscription
00:00So the Australian National Emergency Group is meeting as we go to air tonight following
00:04a catastrophic system failure that's hit Microsoft computers around the world.
00:08Here in Australia, it's shut down banks, hospitals, shipping ports and media outlets.
00:13Not this one.
00:14Not this one.
00:15We're here.
00:16Some airlines have been forced to ground planes with airports also affected.
00:19The outage occurred around 3pm as Waleed said.
00:22It's believed a botched software update is behind the global chaos.
00:27showing users what's now been dubbed the blue screen of death.
00:31If you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about.
00:33The National Cyber Security Co-Coordinator Michelle McGuinness says that it relates to
00:37a technical issue and not a cyber attack.
00:41Microsoft says it's investigating an issue with its 365 apps and services.
00:45You may have noticed that George has just read a whole headline with no vision at all.
00:50That's going to happen a lot tonight.
00:51Cyber security expert Ben Aylard is the host of the podcast West Coast Cyber and joins
00:55us now.
00:56What happened?
00:57Hi guys.
00:58What happened?
00:59Yes.
01:00Well, happy Friday, right?
01:01Yeah, it looks like we've had a software update pushed out.
01:08And this is from the guys at CrowdStrike do a great job.
01:11Sometimes we trip up and sometimes it's a big trip up.
01:14So it looks like this software has actually caused some problems for Windows workstations
01:19from what I'm getting so far.
01:20It's a quickly developing story.
01:22But it looks like we've had a software update.
01:24That's caused Windows systems to break down and worldwide chaos.
01:28So this is like when you update something on your iPhone and then you can't get your
01:33contacts anymore except this updated and shut down the world.
01:36That's that's what we're looking at.
01:39Yeah, to put it crudely, yes.
01:42Okay, great.
01:43Glad we clarified.
01:44Yeah, good, good.
01:45Because, Ben, what on earth is happening?
01:48How on earth could this be possible?
01:50Well, that's a good one.
01:55I think it's because I mean, CrowdStrike being a good system, it's a good cybersecurity system.
02:00It's used throughout a lot of enterprise and corporate level accounts and customers.
02:05And of course, everyday people like us, we depend on these systems to be available.
02:10And so when one thing goes down, it's sort of like a house of cards.
02:13Oh, my gosh.
02:15This is grounded flights and stockpiled transport, shipping ports are down, banks are down.
02:20How is it possible that as a society, we're just so reliant on this one system?
02:28How is it possible?
02:29I mean, it's just something that's convenient.
02:31It's something that's evolved over time.
02:32And it's something that's made life better until it doesn't.
02:36Yeah, it's not bloody convenient now.
02:40And we all know CrowdStrike now.
02:43It's true.
02:44It's true.
02:45Someone lost a job today, by the way.
02:47How much worse could this get, Ben?
02:51At the moment, it looks like that all we're suffering right now is just some systems not
02:57being available.
02:58So we're not looking at any permanent damage.
03:01So I don't think we'll be seeing any loss of data, so to speak.
03:05So it looks like just availability of systems.
03:07But it could get worse.
03:09We could see things like troves of data just disappear.
03:11Oh, oh, excellent.
03:12Sorry, I thought it was just a convenience issue at this point.
03:15But so what do they do?
03:17Do they send up another update that then fixes the bad update?
03:21In which case, how do any of the computers update when the computer that would download
03:25the update is not working to get the update?
03:28Do you understand what I mean about the update?
03:29That you would trust the update.
03:31Yeah.
03:32Yeah.
03:33Yeah.
03:34I understand.
03:35And look, this is where we need to be really kind to our IT support people, because this
03:38is not a problem they caused, but it's one they've got to fix.
03:41So just be kind to your IT guys and girls.
03:43I mean, that's not a solution, but sure.
03:45All right.
03:46It's on us and on IT.
03:47It's on you.
03:48Ben, thank you very much for your time.
03:51Oh, my goodness.
03:54Sorry, I'm not coping.
03:55I'm not coping.
03:56Yeah.
03:57And also that it's happening on a Friday afternoon when everyone's probably left.
03:59Yeah.
04:00You'd have to get the IT people back.
04:01Maybe they'll be, you know, has gone down to the pub as well.
04:03You know what I mean?
04:04Yeah, yeah.
04:05Like, who knows how this is going to solve?
04:06It really did appear to be the end of times when this was happening this afternoon.
04:10I mean, it was like, it was like the weirdest domino effect where it was like, I've still
04:14got a computer.
04:15Blue screen.
04:16Blue screen.
04:17Blue screen.
04:18Blue screen.
04:19Blue screen.
04:20Oh, no, it felt like that dystopian future that we've read about and that it's coming
04:22and all of a sudden it was like, oh, this is it.
04:24I've only got two cans of spaghetti in the afternoon.
04:26I'm out.
04:27Yeah.
04:28Yeah.
04:29It's it was genuinely extraordinary.