Rough patch: CrowdStrike sparks an auto-update debate

Automating software updates helps keep hackers at bay but can introduce op risk; banks balance the two

Credit: Risk.net montage

When it comes to minimising cyber threats, speed is of the essence. If companies delay vital updates to software, they leave themselves exposed to hackers. Which is why the automatic update approach used by major cyber security vendor CrowdStrike looked like a good idea.

Until it didn’t.

In July this year, when a faulty patch – a targeted update – caused its clients’ operating systems to crash, there was little companies could do to stop it because the updating process was automatic.

A CrowdStrike

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