The Global CrowdStrike Outage Triggered a Surprise Return to Cash
Wired
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Contributed by: Drex DeFord
Summary
A recent Cloudflare outage caused widespread disruptions, forcing many businesses to revert to cash transactions or temporarily close. This incident highlighted the vulnerability of cashless systems, particularly in Australia, where the government promotes cashless transactions. Disruptions were also noted across various sectors in India and the US, impacting services like minor league baseball games, public pools, and movie theaters. Starbucks faced significant issues, compounding the problem with a promotional event. The outages reignited discussions about the security and resilience of cloud-based infrastructures, with some experts warning about the fragility of the current systems. Despite these challenges, certain cashless businesses reported benefits such as reduced transaction times and cost savings, while others were not affected by the outage at all.
