Crypto Community Celebrates as Bitcoin and Ethereum Remain Running During Global IT Outage

The recent global IT outage that affected essential services like courts of law, healthcare providers, and airlines left many in the crypto community feeling triumphant as blockchain networks like Bitcoin and Ethereum continued to run smoothly. Despite the widespread disruptions, users were still able to transact on crypto and blockchain networks, highlighting the decentralized nature of these systems.

Former Bitcoin Core developer Jeff Garzik pointed out the contrast between the outages in centralized services and the uninterrupted operation of blockchains. He took to social media to emphasize that while many services were down, Bitcoin and Ethereum remained unaffected.

Jameson Lopp, co-founder of Casa, a Bitcoin multisignature wallet service, also weighed in on the situation, highlighting the importance of not automatically updating Bitcoin node software to avoid systemic risks. Pro-crypto Senator Cynthia Lummis echoed the sentiment, noting that Bitcoin remained unscathed by the cyber outages.

Some community members pointed out the role of the Windows operating system in the outage, emphasizing the importance of blockchains running on multiple operating systems for resilience. Dr. Calle, the developer of the Bitcoin wallet Cashu, referenced Satoshi Nakamoto’s original stance against developing a Linux client, sparking a debate among developers.

The outage was reportedly caused by a flawed automatic update sent to devices running CrowdStrike for Windows, a cybersecurity program. The Mac and Linux versions of CrowdStrike were unaffected by the update. CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz assured that the company is working to resolve the issue and restore businesses back online.

Overall, the incident served as a reminder of the strength and resilience of blockchain networks in the face of widespread IT outages, showcasing the benefits of decentralized systems in times of crisis.