Less important parts of the internet get shut down (probably temporarily, until a big CME hits that is).

[Nicest_Incest]

You'd think trillion-dollar companies like Amazon wouldn't make themselves so vulnerable by outsourcing shit like cybersecurity to 3rd parties. Or hospitals considering no internet = more deaths with those. Oh well at least the most important parts of the 'net like porn, AVN and loli sites are still not crippled as far as I can tell (at least probably not until you try to buy something there). As far as payment processors like Visa, fuck those morality-policing Nazi's, they can shut down permanently for all I care. As far as Australia being "particularly affected", good, fuck those bastards, I just see it as karma paying them back for Westy and all artists like him unfortunately living there.

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[Gazz]

It's not about outsourcing cybersecurity. Microsoft has let this company build its security straight into the core software. If you're using any version of Windows this cybersecurity firm sits between you and the basic functionality of your computer regardless of whatever other security measures you take. That's why when they botched an update anyone who downloaded that update got blue-screened.

 

[PrivateCaptain]

It's not about outsourcing cybersecurity. Microsoft has let this company build its security straight into the core software. If you're using any version of Windows this cybersecurity firm sits between you and the basic functionality of your computer regardless of whatever other security measures you take. That's why when they botched an update anyone who downloaded that update got blue-screened.

It seems like it kinda is about outsourcing security, in a way... Relying on another company to protect yours. I think that's the risk that the OP is pointing out. But I also think you're right about the architectural frailty of letting a company interpose their code so deeply in the system. From what I've read, Crowdstrike uses really sloppy practices. Like, no automated tests. Big red flag, for such critical infrastructure.

I bet Microsoft is still letting these companies inject their AV stuff so deep because Microsoft has to do that, too, with its own Defender and Intune garbage, and wants to avoid getting EU fines for abusing its monopoly.

 

[Nicest_Incest]

It's not about outsourcing cybersecurity. Microsoft has let this company build its security straight into the core software. If you're using any version of Windows this cybersecurity firm sits between you and the basic functionality of your computer regardless of whatever other security measures you take. That's why when they botched an update anyone who downloaded that update got blue-screened.

And therein lies the problem, Microsoft. Why can't a $2T company like Amazon have their own proprietary OS just for their own internal systems/network? Unlike most home users it's not like they can't afford to make that happen. Same for things like hospitals where BSODs can litrally be the same as real deaths (and probably enough lawsuits to bankrupt them even if somehow no one actually dies). I mean does the US military and nuclear power plants also run on Windows? I seriously doubt it. Probably the older ones are running DOS or whatever existed decades before Windows was a thing.

 

[AlBetGam]

And therein lies the problem, Microsoft. Why can't a $2T company like Amazon have their own proprietary OS just for their own internal systems/network? Unlike most home users it's not like they can't afford to make that happen. Same for things like hospitals where BSODs can litrally be the same as real deaths (and probably enough lawsuits to bankrupt them even if somehow no one actually dies). I mean does the US military and nuclear power plants also run on Windows? I seriously doubt it. Probably the older ones are running DOS or whatever existed decades before Windows was a thing.

Because making your own OS is a hassle even if you're a big company, and after you've made it you have to do a bunch of work to make sure all the software you didn't make yourself works on the operating system you made for yourself and continues to work on it after every update, and in the long run you still haven't really guaranteed that you won't have major shutdowns caused by stupid errors (but you have guaranteed that, if that happens, no one else can fix the problem for you).

People figured out a long time ago that a lot of the time it's more efficient and cost-effective to buy someone else's tools instead of making your own from scratch, and that hasn't really changed. If you aren't in the business of making operating systems, you're better off using someone else's OS 90+% of the time.