Target: Maria Cantwell, Chair of U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation
Goal: Investigate global impact and implications of cybersecurity firm’s failure.
Across the planet, banks were disrupted, flights and public transit operations were delayed or canceled, television stations suddenly went dark, and surgeries were put on hold. The global chaos did not result from a cyber-attack. Instead, it reportedly derived from the very organization meant to safeguard consumers worldwide from such malicious actions.
Highly influential cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike blamed the problems on a faulty update in its antivirus software. The Falcon software is apparently widely deployed to safeguard Microsoft Windows operating systems, including systems used by various industries. The unexpected turbulence that resulted lays bare the vulnerabilities faced by businesses relying on a single piece of technology that seemingly exercises an inordinate amount of control over the systems it’s supposed to protect.
Sign the petition below to urge better oversight and more extensive investigations into a problem tech experts have long forewarned.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Senator Cantwell,
“This is a very, very uncomfortable illustration of the fragility of the world’s core Internet infrastructure.” An Oxford University professor aptly summarized the problem that will persist long after CrowdStrike rectifies its massive failure that rattled industries worldwide. Because of this failure, consumers from all corners of the planet could not make or receive timely financial transactions; they could not get where they needed to go; and many could not get their health issues promptly addressed.
The reliance of so many critical industries on a single piece of software should not have been allowed to happen. Now, a force designed to neutralize threats has itself become an unintended threat. Please take immediate action to investigate this matter and its widespread implications. Bring together experts who can create plans of action to ensure technology vulnerabilities and concentration of power within the cybersecurity sector do not bring the world to its knees.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Andrey Matveev
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