In a mind-boggling display of how one tiny mistake can cascade into global chaos, a faulty update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike sent the internet into a tailspin last Friday, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. The company’s Falcon software, used by scores of businesses worldwide, was the culprit behind the massive outage. This grounded flights knocked banks and hospitals offline and even took media outlets off the air. The disaster began when CrowdStrike pushed out a defective update for its Falcon tool. This promptly caused Windows computers to crash and display the infamous “blue screen of death.” Since countless companies rely on CrowdStrike for their security needs, the consequences of this technical blunder were staggering. Air travel was chaotic as airlines lost access to check-in and booking services, leaving passengers stranded. Banks in South Africa and New Zealand reported outages that disrupted payments, while some news stations, particularly in Australia, could not broadcast for hours. Hospitals scrambled to cope with problems with their appointment systems, leading to delays and sometimes cancellations of critical care. Even people just trying to grab a morning coffee were impacted, with trouble ordering ahead at Starbucks causing long lines at some locations. Even billboards in New York City’s famous Times Square went dark. Who is CrowdStrike? CrowdStrike, a U.S. cybersecurity company founded in 2011, bills itself as the globe’s most advanced cloud-based security technology provider. It provides software to companies across industries and boasts 29,000 clients, reports The Associated Press. The company partners…What you need to know about CrowdStrike’s recent update failure