So, the Australian National Emergency Group is meeting as we go to air tonight following
a catastrophic system failure that's hit Microsoft computers around the world.
Here Australia, it shut down banks, hospitals, shipping ports and media outlets.
Some have been forced to ground planes with airports also affected the How did you curd around 3pm, as said?
It's believed a botched software update is behind the global chaos.
Computers crashed, showing users what's now been dubbed the blue screen of death.
If seen it, you know what I'm talking about.
The Cybersecurity CoCo coordinator, Michelle McGuinness, says that it relates to a technical issue and not a cyber attack.
Microsoft says it's investigating an issue with its 365 apps and services.
You may have noticed that George, you just read a whole headline with no vision at all.
That's going to happen a lot tonight.
Service security expert Ben Ayla is the host of the podcast West Coast Cyber and joins us now.
what happened yes happy Friday right yeah it looks like we've had
a software software update pushed out and this is from the you know the guys
at CrowdStrike do a great job sometimes we trip up and yeah sometimes it's a
big trip up so it looks like this software has actually caused some problems for windows getting so far.
It's quickly developing story, but it looks like we've had a software update that's caused window systems to break down and hear worldwide chaos.
So this is like when you update something on your iPhone and then you can't get your contacts
anymore except this updated and shut down the world.
That's what we're looking at.
Yeah, to put a cruelly yes.
Because what on earth is happening?
How on earth could this be possible?
I it's because on CrowdStrike being a good system, it's a good cybersecurity system.
It's used throughout a lot of enterprise and corporate level accounts and customers.
And course, everyday people like us, we depend on these systems to be available.
And when one thing goes down, it's sort of like a house of cards.
This grounded flight to stoplight transport, shipping are down, banks are down.
How is it possible that as a society, we're just so reliant on this one system?
I it's just something that's convenient.
It's something that's evolved over time and, you know, it's something that's made life better until it doesn't.
It's not bloody convenient now.
And we all know CrowdStrike now.
It's Someone a job today, by the way.
How much worse could this get, Ben?
At the moment, it looks like that always suffering right now is just some systems not being available.
So we're not looking at any permanent damage, so I don't think we'll be seeing any loss of data, so to speak.
So it looks like just availability of systems, but it could get worse.
We could see things like troves of data just disappear.
I it was just a convenience issue at this point.
Do they send up another and the bad update,
in case, how do any of the computer's update, when the computer that would download the update is not working to get the up.
Do you understand what I mean about the update?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I understand.
this is where we need to be really kind to our IT support people,
because is not a problem they cause, but it's one they've got to fail.
So, just be kind to your IT, guys, and girls.
I mean, that's not a solution, but sure.
All Husson on IT, it's on you.
Ben, thank you very much for your time.
And also that it's happening on a Friday afternoon when everyone's probably left.
You to get the IT people back, maybe be, you know, has down to the pub as well.
Who knows how this is going to solve?
It really did appear to be the end of times when this was happening this afternoon.
I it was like the weirdest domino effect where it was like, I've still got a computer, blue screen.
I've still got a computer, blue screen, blue screen, blue screen.
I know it felt like that dystopian future.
that we've read about, and that it's coming, and all of a sudden it was like, oh, this is it.
I've only got two cans of spaghetti the house.
Yeah, it was genuinely extraordinary.
