Our Complex Computer World Is Warning Us

Let’s get technical for a moment, shall we?

The recent extensive failure of particularly important computer systems should have our attention front and center. Incidents like this are happening too often and impact things we take for granted.

This one was due to a faulty fix to a security program. Were you directly affected by it? You might have been if you were flying on an airline during that time. Delta alone claims to have lost an estimated $500 million.

If the screen on your computer turned blue and listed error messages, you were likely affected. There were serious problems with a lot of critical services.

If you didn’t understand it, you’re not alone. Basically, a security company, ironically named CrowdStrike, applied a fix that messed up Microsoft-based computer systems which run much of the world. CrowdStrike is supposed to provide security to computers, not make them fail.

Testing, testing . . .

But stuff can happen when updates are released that haven’t been tested enough. Now many affected by this is suing someone. We will all pay for this somehow.

A small coding error in an important computer program can cause other dependent computers to also fail, often leading to a cascade effect. This should never be allowed to happen. But you can’t test for every possible situation. Every company that makes computer tech (both hardware and software) is susceptible to this problem.

These are the same systems we connect to on the internet when we buy from an online store, pay a bill, check on a flight, watch a movie, listen to music or see who’s at the front door – from anywhere. We accomplish these activities on our laptops, tablets, cellphones, watches and network devices.

In my years working with computer technology, one certainty I learned is that our entire lives are now so tethered to computers that we might quickly become a very different world if the internet ever seriously fails. There’s only one internet available to us and if it’s down, it won’t matter what brand of cellphone you have.

We can’t directly do much about these coding flaws. If there are design standards that would help solve this problem, they need to be enforced. We need assurance that if one system goes down, it doesn’t take down others.

The near-constant updates these days probably mean less time for testing. One of the main reasons for the many updates is to fix security problems quickly. It also forces the system to restart, clearing out other issues you didn’t know you had.

Who You Gonna Call?

Ponder these questions: Have you been relying on your spouse, friends, kids or grandkids whenever you need to do something on the internet, such as checking your health care portal? Did you understand what they did so you can handle it next time? They won’t always be available.

It’s not just your cell phone. You might literally be left in the cold when you don’t know how to operate your new touch-screen thermostat. We are mostly on our own to learn how to use our devices, keep up with their eternal updates and know what to do when something goes wrong. And we aren’t doing it.

One reason is that the developers of all this tech don’t have time or resources to adequately document them. They rely on users to demonstrate their products in things like YouTube videos. But there’s just too much tech, it changes overnight, and we’re too impatient to learn to use it by watching videos and reading documentation.

Along with this, we need to keep our computer devices up to date. Even your smart thermostat gets updates. So, here’s a public service announcement: Maintain your devices and computer accounts or the crooks will. It’s also part of being a good internet citizen.

I recently went through a tedious process that most seniors might need to endure. You may not have needed to log into the Social Security Administration website to check on your account, but you may at some point, or someone will need to do it for you.

The SSA is now requiring each of us to set up a new account with a government ID. It looks like the feds are moving toward just one account for each US citizen in order to simplify things and improve security.

However, creating this new account involves a series of interactions to make sure it’s really you. I could quickly see that if you don’t know what two-factor authentication means, or if you don’t have an authenticator program, you will need help. I hope there’s an easier way that I didn’t see.

I used to look forward to updates to my computers because they might provide cool new features. Now I know that they are mostly just security updates. If your device can’t be updated anymore, don’t keep using it connected to the internet. You may regret it.

You can blame all this on the crooks and poor programming. You can also blame it on lack of standards and oversight. But most of us don’t have a clue how all this stuff really works. We don’t want to know. It’s magic and we want more. We expect to be able to use the internet in every imaginable way possible all the time.

What could go wrong?