[Not really OT] Crowdstrike Analysis: It was a NULL pointer from the memory unsafe C++ language.

[GrimMaple]

On Friday, 19 July 2024 at 23:33:44 UTC, H. S. Teoh wrote:
> It's 2024, and a NULL pointer brought down half the world's 
> servers.
>
> Just gives you *so* much confidence in technology. :-D

It's not a NULL pointer that did this, but rather a combination of
* A NULL pointer
* Poor testing that allowed the code to be pushed upstream
* Bad Microsoft policies that lead to poorly tested code to be 
auto-installed via automatic updates

In cases like this it's never just one small thing that causes 
Really Bad Things™, it's usually a combination of poor decisions. 
IMO, the only actually wrong thing in this whole situation is how 
shitty updates are forced onto everyone without proper testing 
periods