Microsoft’s recent outage caused by an update to its CrowdStrike security software exposed just how vulnerable centralized systems are. The event raised questions about the reliability and stability of centralized systems and prompted considerations about the potential benefits of decentralized technologies. Microsoft’s outage has caused chaos in the world, but what if such an outage occurred on a decentralized blockchain network?
Microsoft Outage – What Happened?
On July 18-19, 2023, a global outage of the Windows operating system disrupted key services around the world. The problem was caused by an update to the CrowdStrike security software, which led to the so-called “blue screen of death” (BSOD) on about 8.5 million systems. As a result, many companies, supermarkets, broadcasters, airlines and banks had to suspend their operations. It is worth adding that the outage affected North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Although in most cases the problem was only non-functional cash registers or computers at airports, in Alaska the 911 emergency number was not working for many hours.
What were the causes of the failure?
Microsoft’s outage was widespread and had several causes:
- CrowdStrike Security Software Update – a problematic update caused conflicts with the Windows operating system, leading to system crashes.
- Centralized systems structure – centralization of systems meant that a single failure affected a large number of users and services.
- No redundancy – many systems were not adequately protected against the failure of a single component, which led to the widespread nature of the problem.
What would such an outage look like on a decentralized network?
One of the main advantages of decentralized blockchain networks, such as Bitcoin, is their distributed structure. If one component fails, other nodes in the network can continue to operate without disruption. The lack of a single point of failure significantly increases the reliability of the system.
Decentralized networks are much more resistant to attacks and technical issues because data is stored on multiple nodes simultaneously. Even if one node is attacked or goes down, the rest of the network remains unaffected. What’s more, blockchain technology provides full transparency and auditability of all operations. This allows potential problems to be quickly identified and resolved. In centralized systems, such as the one used by Microsoft, identifying the problem can be more difficult and time-consuming.
Bitcoin Core, a network that has no strong competitors
Bitcoin Core, the Bitcoin network client software, is a prime example of the reliability of decentralized systems. Despite numerous attack attempts and technical issues, Bitcoin Core remains fully operational and fail-safe. Thanks to decentralization and distributed computing power, the Bitcoin network is virtually indestructible. It is worth noting that decentralized networks have built-in redundancy, meaning that even if some nodes go down, the rest of the network will continue to operate. Consensus mechanisms, such as Bitcoin’s Proof of Work, provide self-regulation and fail-safe capabilities.
Microsoft on blockchain?
The global Microsoft outage exposed the flaws of centralized systems and showed how important decentralized technologies can be. Decentralization provides greater resilience to failures, transparency, and security. In the context of the growing complexity of IT systems, blockchain technology and decentralized networks are becoming an increasingly attractive alternative to traditional, centralized solutions.
