CrowdStrike and digital ecosystem transitivity

On July 19, 2024, a major global outage was caused by a faulty software update issued by CrowdStrike, a prominent cybersecurity firm. This update disrupted computers running Microsoft Windows, affecting many aspects of the economy, including airlines, media outlets, hospitals, banks, supply chains, small businesses, government, and other emergency services. CrowdStrike confirmed that the outage was not the result of a cyberattack and ultimately fixed the issue despite the disruptions that persisted for several hours on that day. The ripple effects of the outage showed the consequences of an increasingly interdependent digital society. By drawing lessons from previous outages and crises, policymakers can mitigate the range and extent of the damage caused by failures cascading through digital ecosystems.