Global tech outage highlights dangers from space weather, cyberattacks

A global technology outage on July 19, 2024, caused many Windows device users worldwide to experience functionality problems. The disruption was attributed to issues with the Azure service and a faulty update from the American company CrowdStrike. The effects of the outage were felt in sectors such as banking, media, and transportation. Faulty updates are not the only factor that can cause similar chaos. The technology that accompanies us in daily life is also dependent on space weather and can be affected by cyberattacks.

The global technology outage led to chaos around the world. Other factors can also cause similar disruptions. One is space weather, a set of phenomena occurring on the Sun and in our terrestrial magnetosphere and ionosphere. Adverse space weather conditions, including intense geomagnetic storms, can generate disruptions in radio and satellite communications, cause failures and damage to satellites, and disrupt the functioning of power grids.

One of the worst scenarios is the destruction of large transformers, the backbone of the global power grid. There are few of them, and their repair or reconstruction would take a long time. Experts estimate that Earth could be plunged into darkness without these transformers for 10-15 years. There would also be a risk of paralyzing the global economy, which relies heavily on cashless transactions today.

The same scenario could happen if a solid geomagnetic storm led to an internet blackout. Recalling the effects of the so-called Carrington Event of 1859, the strongest geomagnetic storm recorded is worth recalling. It caused numerous auroras and sparked failures and fires in many telegraph stations.

Cyberattacks are another factor that can affect the proper functioning of technology. An example of hazardous activity is spoofing, which disrupts signals so that GPS receivers provide an utterly incorrect location. An aircraft could lose its maritime capabilities in such a situation, potentially leading to a severe disaster.

As reported, this is how Iran took over the American RQ-170 Sentinel drone. The Iranians disrupted its GPS, causing the device's navigation systems to indicate that it was over its own base in Afghanistan, while in reality, it was in a completely different area. This way, the Iranians took over the RQ-170 Sentinel and gained access to American technologies.