Cybersecurity Experts Brace for the Next Crisis After the CrowdStrike Near-Disaster

This past summer’s “CrowdStrike incident” – which began as a “minor” error – came as close to a total system crash as the world has yet seen. It grounded airlines, hospitals were forced to cancel surgeries, and retailers couldn’t process digital payments.

The issue was made worse because though a patch was quickly released, it required every single computer impacted to be manually restarted.

However, just months later there are signs that it was a wakeup call for IT and cybersecurity specialists. Instead of ignoring the issue and hoping it was an isolated incident – as has happened following past cyber attacks and security breaches – most are responding.

According to the findings of the recently released OTRS Spotlight: Corporate Security 2024 study, 93% of all IT and cybersecurity specialists and teams indicated that they’ve already taken measures to better prepare for the next incident – including diversifying their IT and software landscape.

More than one-third (39%) of the professionals surveyed said they have introduced additional testing for new patches and updates. A year ago, around half of those surveyed (49%) had employed automated routine tasks while retaining human control over critical decisions. Since the incident, the proportion has increased to 57%.

“It’s a cat-and-mouse game: attackers are taking advantage of new technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning to attack more frequently, more quickly, and with greater sophistication. On the other hand, security teams are chasing after them and trying to streamline and speed up their processes through automation,” said Jens Bothe, vice president of information security at the OTRS Group. “But it is an unequal battle.”

Lessons Learned – Will It Last

The CrowdStrike incident occurred less than two months ago, and it is clear that while IT and cybersecurity specialists haven’t forgotten about it, it is old news for everyone else. Those on the frontlines of cybersecurity have long paid attention to attacks and responded.

Yet, the severity of this incident – which wasn’t even an attack – highlights how even a small glitch can bring networks crashing down like a house of cards.

“I don’t know that the CrowdStrike disaster gets the attention of companies any more than the long string of other security issues that preceded it,” explained Jim Purtilo, associate professor of computer science at the University of Maryland. “We can hope! But if they haven’t noticed by now then it takes a serious optimist to believe they’ll say ‘this time for sure!'”

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