Navigating a World Where Software Faults Can Stop Our Engines

Last week, a routine update from #CrowdStrike inadvertently triggered a global outage, affecting countless systems and services that depend on its software.

Including everything from 911 operators, airlines, hospitals, and large companies like #Microsoft.

This incident prompted a simple yet profound question from my daughter when we had to go to 3 gas stations to find working gas pumps.

“What would happen if this caused all the gas stations not to work?”

This question hit closer to home than she might have realized. It paints a stark picture of our vulnerability in an interconnected digital age.

What if, indeed, a single software failure could disrupt our access to essential services like fuel?

Then I ran across this quote in the article:

“Until software companies have to pay a price for faulty products, we will be no safer tomorrow than we are today,” stated Mr. Parenty.

This brings to the forefront the ongoing debate about accountability in the tech industry.

• How do we balance innovation with responsibility?
• How do we protect our critical infrastructures from cascading failures that begin in the virtual world but have severe real-world consequences?
• When do we stop shifting blame and start taking responsibility for preparedness for a tech failure as users?

We are closer to a devastating disaster by something or someone shutting down the internet than another chain of Volcano eruptions.

As a #cybersecurity professional and an entrepreneur, I believe that while technology offers transformative potential, it also demands a new paradigm of responsibility. Companies, especially those whose products are intertwined with critical infrastructures, must be held to higher standards of reliability and accountability.

This isn’t just about software; it’s about safeguarding the society that relies on it.

Could this outage be a wake-up call we need?

Possibly.

More importantly, it should be a catalyst for change.

We need robust mechanisms for accountability where #software companies are incentivized, or required, to ensure their products meet stringent safety and reliability standards before they impact critical services.

My daughter’s question may have been innocent, but it underscores a critical need for action.

As we move forward, let’s ensure that our drive toward innovation is matched by an equally strong commitment to reliability and safety.

Because in a world as connected as ours, a single fault shouldn’t have the power to stop our lives.

Stay relentless.

Daniel Metcalf

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/19/business/microsoft-outage-cause-azure-crowdstrike.html