Yesterday, July 19, 2024, millions, if not billions, of people, woke up, but might consider going back to sleep! If you are interested in knowing why, the short answer could be summarized in a few words: Sustainable development and Artificial Intelligence (AI)! But how?!

Sustainable Development

Years ago, my research on sustainable development led to grim warnings about over-centralized systems. I provided many examples in my report, but now I feel yesterday's incident is one of the most sensible ones for many to understand why what I learned seemed so concerning to me. On July 19, 2024, billions experienced a global disruption on a scale that could formerly be found in dystopian books or movies: banks were incapacitated, hospitals were unable to treat patients, airports were shut down, and even it became almost impossible to buy food! All for a simple, but not small, problem: worldwide, Windows computers were likely to experience a blue screen of death due to an update!

It is a grim warning that our modern world is so dependent on such centralized systems that even a single automatic update can lead to a disaster that affects almost all aspects of our civilization. As I mentioned, while the pros of centralized systems are undeniable, more sustainable solutions, like those I focused on, are needed.

AI and Sustainability

According to Microsoft, the problem is caused by Falcon, the primary product of CrowdStrike enterprise cybersecurity firm. CrowdStrike clarified that this was not a security incident or cyber attack. Falcon employs AI and analytics to provide end-point protection and detect threats in real time. Yes, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and analytics...

Will history remember the July 19, 2024 incident as the first global disaster caused by AI, if could be considered an AI-related "honest mistake"? Who knows?!

Last words

Based on years of experience in leading and managing various projects in industry and academia, I do believe a constructive comment should come with sufficient research and some possible solutions! So, here I share my research result and a solution to fix this technical problem:

Falcon, a security application, embeds itself deeply within the operating system using kernel-mode drivers. While it monitors system behavior and gathers data to validate its hefty price tag, its critical integration poses risks. A defective automatic update caused widespread system failures.

The solution is simple for experienced users but needs elevated permissions, making it unfeasible for most staff and escalating the incident beyond a typical service disruption. The fix involves rebooting affected machines in safe mode and manually deleting the specific driver file from the Windows directory (C-00000291*.sys). Note that it is for knowledge dismission purposes only, and I do not encourage or discourage anyone from doing it.

From: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/yoosefdoost_sustainability-sustainableabrdevelopment-activity-7220422888867209218-g2Mq

#Sustainability #Sustainable_Development #AI #Centralized_Systems