The recent computer blackout, triggered by an antivirus update in the Windows system, which blocked various communication and business services globally, had limited effects in Mozambique, according to expert Ricardo Velho.
Recent figures released by Microsoft show that the fault, which began on Thursday night (18) and worsened during the early hours of Friday (19), affected 8.5 million devices worldwide.
In Mozambique, the impact was significantly less. In an interview with DE, Ricardo Velho, Partner & Business Development Manager at Insite, explained that the effects in the country were both direct and indirect. ‘Mozambican companies were affected directly by the blackout and indirectly through suppliers and partners located in other countries. These indirect repercussions were manifested through the slowdown or interruption of some services,’ he said.
The expert noted that ‘not many companies assumed they had been affected’, which may indicate that the impact was limited or that companies chose not to report the difficulties. Ricardo Velho also emphasised that this incident ‘did not affect Mozambique on the same scale as other countries’, where operations were significantly interrupted.
Ricardo Velho, Partner & Business Development Manager at Insite, emphasised the importance of adequate contingency measures to deal with such incidents. This was not a cyber-attack,’ he said, emphasising that “contingency measures must be understood at different levels”.
At the institutional level, it is crucial to identify the critical sectors for the country, while at the operational level, the main operators must implement information security controls and guarantee the continuity of critical activities. icardo Velho gave examples of some essential measures, such as the ‘secure installation of software, validation of updates and management of ICT service providers’.
In order to mitigate the effects of the blackout, the affected companies are following CROWDSTRIKE’s instructions for restoring normal systems. It is essential that companies also think about strategies to prevent similar situations from happening again in the future,’ he advised.
Microsoft has already announced that it has corrected the fault, but warned that it may take a while for systems to return to normal. On Saturday (20), the technology giant reported that the cyber crash had affected 8.5 million devices worldwide, representing less than 1% of all machines using Windows. The failure only affected companies, with no impact on home users’ devices, since Falcon, the cybersecurity platform from US company CrowdStrike that caused the failures after an update, is offered exclusively for the corporate environment.
According to a statement, Microsoft emphasised that the ‘broad economic and social impacts’ demonstrate the use of CrowdStrike ‘by companies that run many critical services’. The company says it is ‘working around the clock’ to provide ‘continuous updates and support’ with the help of CrowdStrike.
The tech giant reported that the cyber outage impaired the operation of 8.5 million devices worldwide, representing less than 1 per cent of all machines running Windows. The outage only affected companies, with no impact on home users‘ devices’
– Microsoft
In Mozambique, the largest travel agency, Cotur, and Banco Comercial de Investimentos (BCI) were some of the companies that reported problems due to the blackout. Cotur reported that, between 8am and 11am on 19 July 2024, it faced very limited access to the booking system, resulting in delays in serving customers. Although some difficulties still persist, the situation has begun to normalise,’ the company said in a statement.
BCI also experienced limitations in some transactions. According to a statement from the bank, there were difficulties in making money transfers and withdrawals due to computer disruptions at an international level. However, BCI’s digital channels, such as eBanking, the mobile app and WhatsApp, continued to function, allowing customers to carry out their transactions with relative convenience.
