.jpg)
Last Friday morning saw internet outages spread across the globe. Directed to computers functioning on Microsoft Windows, the cause of the outages was quickly determined to be a defective security update from cybersecurity company Crowd-Strike.
The update, which crashed Windows operating systems and removed them from the internet, had global consequences on businesses such as airlines, health care organizations, retail stores and banks.
Though action to resolve the outage was quickly taken, issues persisted through the weekend into Monday, leading airlines to continue delays and cancellations through what is generally the “busiest travel weekend of the summer” according to Delta CEO Ed Bastian in an open letter.
The outages had limited impacts on health care systems and banks in the Rockbridge area.
“Some of our computers were unavailable until Crowdstrike’s update was applied,” according to Carilion spokeswoman Hannah Curtis. “Our hospitals and other care locations continued to operate normally throughout, and patient care was not impacted.”
Augusta Health sent out a statement Friday, reporting only minor interruptions. “Augusta Health can access all clinical systems, including patient health records and scheduling,” said Leigh Williams, assistant chief information officer.
Of the banks in the Rockbridge area reached by The News-Gazette Friday morning, Atlantic Union, Bank of the James and CornerStone reported experiencing outages in both online banking and in-branch services.
As of Monday morning, those banks reported business was back to normal.
“Friday by the end of the business day we were fine,” said Bank of the James Market President Trevania Cottrill. “What we needed to be completed was completed.”
Bank officials also stressed that no personal information was compromised in the crisis. “Customer security and integrity remained our highest priority throughout the recovery period,” CornerStone Bank President and CEO Steve Grist said.
