If you’ve been keeping up with recent tech news, you might have heard about the CrowdStrike incident that caused chaos worldwide. From grounded flights to banking outages, this problem disrupted entire industries—and it’s also the reason I’m stuck in a hotel room, unable to get back home.
Today, I want to break this issue down: what happened with CrowdStrike, why it had such a massive impact, and most importantly, what we as developers can learn to avoid similar problems in the future. Let’s get into it.
What Is CrowdStrike?
CrowdStrike is a cybersecurity tool, kind of like an advanced antivirus program. It’s widely used by large enterprises to keep their systems safe from viruses, malware, and other cyber threats. Think of it as an invisible shield that helps keep applications and systems secure.
For this discussion, you don’t need to know all the technical details about CrowdStrike. What matters is that it’s deeply embedded into the infrastructure of many organizations, making it mission-critical software.
What Happened?
Here’s the gist: CrowdStrike recently pushed out an update. But this update had a major bug that caused Windows machines to crash immediately upon booting. Picture this—any Windows system running CrowdStrike would blue-screen and become completely unusable.
Now, because so many companies, from airlines to banks, rely on CrowdStrike, this bug triggered massive outages worldwide. Flights were grounded, financial services were disrupted, and industries across the board were affected.
But here’s the kicker: typically, when software updates have bugs, the fallout isn’t this catastrophic. Why? Because most companies deliberately avoid using the latest software versions. They stick to older, well-tested versions to ensure stability. So, how did this happen despite these safeguards?
Why Was This So Devastating?
The problem wasn’t just the bug itself—it was how CrowdStrike delivered the update. Instead of limiting the update to the latest version of their software, CrowdStrike pushed it to all versions, even those that companies deliberately kept outdated for stability.
This decision bypassed the usual safeguards enterprises rely on. Companies using versions that were one or two releases behind suddenly found themselves running the problematic update, causing their systems to crash.
And that leads to a big question: how did such an obvious issue—causing Windows machines to blue-screen—make it past CrowdStrike’s testing process? It’s hard not to wonder if something malicious could be at play, but without concrete evidence, that’s just speculation for now.
final step – join team nowLessons Developers Can Learn
Incidents like this are rare but impactful. They highlight key practices we can adopt as developers to build more resilient software systems. Here are a few takeaways:
1. Use Version Control and Stick to Stable Versions
If you’ve worked in a large organization, you’ve probably been frustrated by restrictions on which software versions you can use. It can feel annoying when you want the latest features but are stuck on older releases. However, this practice exists for a reason.
New software versions often come with bugs, and it takes time for those bugs to be discovered and fixed. By sticking to older, stable versions, you give yourself a buffer to avoid potential issues.
For example, many companies adopt a tiered system:
- Development Environment: Runs the latest version to test new features and catch bugs.
- Staging Environment: Uses a slightly older version (one version behind).
- Production Environment: Runs the most stable version (usually two versions behind).
This system ensures that new bugs are caught in the development or staging phases before they reach production.
सम्बंधित ख़बरें
Even if you’re a solo developer or working on a small project, you can still follow this principle. Avoid using the bleeding-edge version of libraries or frameworks unless absolutely necessary. Running one or two versions behind can help you maintain a more stable experience.
2. Understand the Criticality of Dependencies
Some software dependencies are more crucial than others. For example, if your application relies on frameworks like React or Next.js, a critical bug in those libraries could bring your entire app down.
This happened before with a small library called Left-pad on npm. When the library was unexpectedly removed, thousands of projects broke because they depended on it.
What’s the lesson here? Before adding a third-party dependency, ask yourself:
- Is this library critical to my application?
- Can I write this code myself instead of relying on an external dependency?
- What’s the risk if the library is buggy or unavailable?
For small, simple functionality (like the Left-pad example), it’s often better to write the code yourself or copy it directly into your project. This minimizes your reliance on external libraries and reduces potential risks.
3. Be Prepared for Catastrophic Failures
No matter how much you prepare, failures can and will happen. The key is having a solid plan in place for when things go wrong.
Here are a few tips:
- Communicate Clearly with Users: If your app goes down, notify users immediately. Let them know you’re aware of the issue and working to fix it. This transparency builds trust.
- Have a Crisis Protocol: Your team should have a documented plan for handling emergencies. Who needs to be contacted? What steps should be taken first? If you’re a solo developer, write down a checklist for yourself.
- Build Systems for Quick Fixes: Can you push a hotfix quickly? If a dependency like
Left-padcauses issues, do you have a backup plan to replace it? Being able to act fast is crucial in minimizing downtime.
In the case of the CrowdStrike incident, some companies were able to recover quickly, while others (like the airline I’m trying to fly with) are still struggling. The difference often comes down to preparation and having the right systems in place.
Final Thoughts
The CrowdStrike incident is a stark reminder of how interconnected and vulnerable our software ecosystems can be. When a critical piece of software fails, the ripple effects can be massive.
As developers, we can learn a lot from situations like this. By carefully managing software versions, understanding the criticality of dependencies, and preparing for emergencies, we can build more resilient systems that are better equipped to handle unexpected failures.
Let’s hope incidents like this become rarer in the future as we collectively learn and improve.
If you found this post helpful, check out some of my other articles on software development best practices. Let’s continue learning and building better, more robust applications together.
