ON July 19, an update to Microsoft Windows 365 antivirus software by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike escalated into a widespread shutdown affecting numerous sectors, including airlines, banks, health care providers, television stations and global supply chains. This incident showed how the global economy could easily be knocked off, with one mistake triggering a series of undesirable events due to the interconnected nature of the IT systems that run it.
Computers that are using Microsoft Windows broke down, with the IT outage affecting 8.5 million devices and unceremoniously disrupting many critical services around the globe. As airlines, bankers, retailers and hospitals struggled to go back online, the domino effect canceled more than 10,000 flights, prevented depositors from accessing their online accounts and even delayed scheduled surgeries in hospitals. This does not even account for the huge economic loss to grocery stores, public transport systems and television livestreams across continents. With the massive crash of Microsoft Windows, millions of people were unable to reboot their computers and were left with displays of "blue screens of death."
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