Editorials

The Irish Times view on the worldwide tech outage: vulnerable connections

The global network of computers that hosts the internet is by its very nature exposed to such events

A sign notes disruptions from a technology outage at State Supreme Court in New York, on Friday. Airlines, health care, banks and scores of other businesses and services around the world were affected. (Photo: Jefferson Siegel/The New York Times)
A sign notes disruptions from a technology outage at State Supreme Court in New York, on Friday. Airlines, health care, banks and scores of other businesses and services around the world were affected. (Photo: Jefferson Siegel/The New York Times)
Mon Jul 22 2024 - 20:09

The global IT outage that took place on Friday and continued over the weekend highlighted the extent to which we take for granted the myriad services delivered via a global network of computers.

It also highlighted the vulnerability of this web of interconnections. The full details of what affected 8.5 million devices around the globe running Microsoft Windows are not yet known. What we do know is that an error in an update to a piece of software running in these devices was responsible.

The defective software update was itself intended to protect systems from hackers and other bad actors. That it should accidentally do more damage than the average hacker could dream of highlights the fragility of the entire edifice in which a small number of very large companies are dominant.

The disruption was substantial with businesses and organisations across the globe being affected, some of them operating in critical areas such as health and transport. In Ireland the entities affected included Dublin and Cork airports, Transport for Ireland and the NCT test centres.

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Lessons will no doubt be learnt by the companies involved and measures put in place to prevent a repetition of last weekend’s disruption. But the reality is that the global network of computers that hosts the internet is by its very nature vulnerable to such events. The advent of cloud computing only served to accelerate the process. At its very core is the notion that a company based in Austin, Texas can update security software on devices around the world.

The global connectivity enabled by the internet has brought many benefits and it is impossible to imagine a world in which a deliberate decision to roll it back would be taken. But at a minimum the risks that this type of connectivity brings should be acknowledged and taken with open eyes.

This is particularly important as we embark on another episode of remarkable and dramatic change driven by the advent of products and services driven by artificial intelligence.