The short version

Key points

  • The outage affected services including Microsoft 365, banks, NBN, Telstra, supermarkets, airports and online platforms.
  • The National Cyber Security Coordinator said the incident was related to a technical issue with a third-party software platform used by affected companies.
  • CrowdStrike appeared to be linked to many of the Windows blue screen failures, but the video did not present this as a confirmed final finding.
  • Triple zero services were reported to be operating, although some police computer systems were affected.
  • The outage highlighted the risks of depending heavily on one software or security provider.

A broad range of services affected

The outage, reported on 19 July 2024, was unusually widespread. The affected services mentioned in the report included Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams, banks such as Bendigo Bank, NAB and ANZ, NBN services, Telstra, Foxtel, Australia Post, Amazon, Google, Cloudflare, X and various media and betting platforms.

Retail operations were also disrupted. Supermarket point-of-sale systems and self-checkouts were reported to be unavailable at some locations. Fuel stations were affected in some areas, while reports from Perth and Sydney indicated that airport operations and flight check-ins were experiencing problems. The extent of the disruption varied between organisations and locations.

What was known about the cause

The National Cyber Security Coordinator said the incident was a large-scale technical outage affecting multiple companies and services across Australia. The information available at the time indicated that it related to a technical issue with a third-party software platform used by affected companies. It was also reported that the event was not believed to be a cyber security attack or incident.

CrowdStrike appeared to be connected to many of the reported failures. CrowdStrike provides cyber security software that can be installed across an organisation’s computers and devices. Reports described Windows computers displaying blue screens, with some colleagues identifying CrowdStrike as the apparent source of the problem. However, the video was recorded while the outage was still developing, so it did not provide a confirmed final resolution or complete technical explanation.

Why one software problem can have a wide impact

The incident demonstrated how a problem with a commonly deployed software platform can spread across unrelated businesses. Organisations may use the same security, cloud, hosting or infrastructure providers, even when their customer-facing services are different. If a shared provider experiences a failure, many of those organisations can be affected at the same time.

The report also raised concerns about single points of failure. Using one provider for a critical function can simplify deployment and management, but it may also create a concentration of risk. The outage prompted questions about whether businesses should use more than one provider, maintain alternative processes, or make sure important services can continue when internal computers are unavailable.

Services that continued operating

Not every service was affected. The report indicated that some platforms, including Reddit, appeared to be operating, while Microsoft Teams had been working earlier in the day. Triple zero emergency services were also reported to be functioning, although some police stations and other organisations may have experienced problems with their computer systems.

The report did not establish a final list of affected services or confirm when all systems would return to normal. It was an early account of a developing outage, with further reports expected as organisations investigated their own failures.

TechManPat’s conclusion

My view is that the outage was less an argument against technology and more a warning about relying on one provider for a critical function. Diversification, backup procedures and several layers of protection can reduce the impact when a widely used software platform fails.
Source note

This knowledge-centre summary is based on the linked TechManPat video and reflects the information available when it was published. Check current pricing, availability and policies before acting.