CrowdStrike’s Catastrophic Update: Proper Testing Could Have Prevented a Global Meltdown

July 29, 2024

CrowdStrike's Catastrophic Update: Proper Testing Could Have Prevented a Global Meltdown

Rigorous quality testing at every step of the software development life cycle, whether code, content, or threat detection, is vital to a healthy application and operating system. In the mad dash to rely on AI for delivery, many companies are laying off critical teams, increasing the necessity of partnering with external experts who specialize in quality assurance (QA) to fill the gap and ensure reliability and security.

On July 19, 2024, CrowdStrike, a leading cybersecurity company, released a flawed update to its Falcon endpoint detection and response (EDR) platform that exposed critical vulnerabilities in software development practices, particularly in sectors vital to modern life. This update caused widespread system crashes and endless reboot cycles on Windows machines, affecting millions of users worldwide. The impact was felt across various industries, from banking to air travel, causing significant disruptions and financial losses.


Critical pain points

The root cause of this catastrophic failure was a lack of thorough testing before deployment. The update contained a logic error that resulted in operating system crashes, a problem that could have been detected with proper testing procedures. This oversight led to one of the most disruptive and largest outages in technological history and serves as a stark reminder of the importance of rigorous QA testing.

  1. Inadequate pre-deployment testing: The scale of the failure suggests that even basic quality checks would have caught the issue. Companies must invest in comprehensive testing procedures, including edge cases and real-world scenarios, with a dedicated team whose primary goal is decreasing the risk of crippling errors making their way to the end user.
  2. Lack of phased rollouts: The decision to deploy the update globally without a staged rollout exacerbated the problem. Implementing incremental updates can help contain potential issues and minimize widespread damage.
  3. Insufficient backup and redundancy: Many affected organizations lacked adequate backup systems or emergency action plans, amplifying the impact of the outage.
  4. Over-reliance on automation: While automation is crucial for efficiency, this incident demonstrates the risks of over-dependence on automated processes without human oversight. XBOSoft is the premier software testing resource for comprehensive manual testing across various industries with deep domain knowledge to further impact outcomes in the finance, eCommerce, and healthcare sectors.
  5. Neglect of QA teams: The trend of laying off QA professionals or merging their roles with development teams can lead to avoidable oversights, as evidenced by this incident. Dedicated testers whose sole job is to look out for who the software is serving can help solve many of the issues that arise from asking teams to perform well beyond the scope of their expertise.

Severe, far-reaching quality failures

  1. Global air travel disruption: Over 3,000 flights were canceled within, into, or out of the US on the day of the incident, with more than 11,000 delayed. The impact continued for days, with nearly 2,500 flights canceled and over 38,000 delayed three days after the initial outage.
  2. Financial sector paralysis: Banks and financial institutions experienced system failures, impacting customer services and transactions.
  3. Healthcare system disruptions: Critical healthcare systems were affected, stalling life-saving operations, and compromising patient care and safety.
  4. Widespread business interruptions: With over half of Fortune 500 companies using CrowdStrike’s products, the outage caused significant business interruptions across many industries.

To prevent such catastrophic failures in the future, software development firms must prioritize QA. At XBOSoft, we use an integrative approach, adding testing activities to clients’ existing development cycles and teams. This method ensures thorough testing without disrupting established workflows.

Key strategies to improve quality

At XBOSoft, we’ve been leading experts in software quality since 2006. With our staff’s collective, expansive testing expertise, we understand the importance of thorough testing before any software release.

  1. Engage external QA experts: Partner with specialized QA firms like XBOSoft to leverage their extensive experience and expertise. Our team stays up-to-date with the latest testing methodologies and technologies, ensuring your software is rigorously tested time and time again.
  2. Adopt phased rollout strategies: Gradually deploy updates to detect and address issues before they affect the entire user base.
  3. Implement strong backup and recovery systems: Ensure redundancy and have clear emergency action plans in place.
  4. Balance automation with human expertise: While leveraging AI and automation may increase efficiency they do require constant upkeep. Be sure to employ a balanced approach leaning heavily on skilled testers with years of experience providing critical oversight and catching nuanced issues automation will never be able to achieve.

XBOSoft offers an excellent option as a third party to integrate a final testing round before launching. This last-minute input from an outside perspective can be crucial in determining if a product is truly ready to launch. Our extensive experience and unbiased viewpoint can catch issues that internal teams might overlook or miss as they rush to meet the increasing demands of faster iterations required to be completed with fewer eyes on the software.

In conclusion, the CrowdStrike incident serves as a wake-up call for the software industry. It underscores the critical need for robust QA processes, especially in sectors that form the backbone of our modern digital infrastructure. By learning from this failure and implementing comprehensive QA strategies with the help of external experts, companies can better protect their users, maintain trust, and ensure the reliability of their software products in an increasingly complex digital landscape. By partnering with XBOSoft, a top software testing company in the USA, businesses gain access to the expertise and resources needed to implement effective QA measures quickly.

Don’t wait for disaster, contact us today to invest in your quality!

Sources

Crowdstrike – Preliminary Post Incident Review

Microsoft – Helping our customers through the CrowdStrike outage

Crowdstrike – Falcon Content Update Remediation and Guidance Hub