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What happens when 8.5 million computers crash at once?

The Big Story
The Big Story
Episode • Jul 24, 2024 • 26m

Last Friday, a bad update from a cybersecurity company managed to give an estimated 1 percent of the world's computers the blue screen of death. Not only that, but the initial fix was a manual procedure, meaning someone had to physically get ahold of each computer that needed a reboot.

The global impact was profound, grounding airlines, halting businesses and generally providing a wake-up call to everyone who takes the digital infrastructure most of our lives are built on for granted. Why weren't we prepared for this? How did it happen? And are we really ready for a world that could go offline at any moment?

GUEST: Jesse Hirsh, futurist, technologist and cybersecurity expert

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The Big Story • What happens when 8.5 million computers crash at once? • Listen on Fountain