CrowdStrike Outage Highlights the Vulnerability of Digital Ecosystems

Patricia de Hemricourt, writing in HackerNoon, uses the CrowdStrike outage, where a faulty update from a reputable cybersecurity provider caused worldwide chaos, as an object lesson in the inherent vulnerability of digital ecosystems.

CrowdStrike is one of many Windows suppliers, and so far as anyone knows, there is no data available to quantify their combined risk. What’s clear is that supply chain vulnerability is one of the most substantial cyber-related threats.

Seven days after the outage, estimates for associated losses reached $5.4 billion. This magnitude of the risk underlines the need to understand and mitigate the risks of every link in the chain.

The article emphasizes that cybercriminals can utilize AI to refine and amplify attacks, an extensively analyzed topic. However, less focus has been placed on the vulnerability of digital ecosystems and the heightened risk associated with integrating AI into a company’s system.

Phishing attacks, for example, used to be poorly written and designed and easily spotted. Bad actors sent out thousands to get one response. AI has made them harder to detect. They can be customized to appear legitimate and tailored to target specific individuals.

The article quotes Sheila Casserly, Director of Digital Policy, North America at Schneider Electric, who stresses the importance of international cooperation: “As new cyber and product security and supply chain security regulations appear throughout the world, the most important thing that we can all advocate for is mutual recognition and interoperability of these regulations.”