Application Security , Next-Generation Technologies & Secure Development , Secure Software Development Lifecycle (SSDLC) Management

Learning From CrowdStrike's Outage: Insights From Snyk's CEO

Peter McKay on Improving Developer Practices, Integrating Security and Cutting Risk
Peter McKay, CEO, Snyk (Image: Snyk)

One major lesson from the massive July 19 CrowdStrike outage is that organizations should take proactive measures to mitigate risks in fast-paced software development environments, according to Snyk CEO Peter McKay.

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A faulty update CrowdStrike pushed to its Falcon endpoint detection and response software affected 8.5 million Windows hosts, leading to what appears to be the largest IT outage in history. Embedding quality, performance and security into modern development practices lowers the likelihood of a faulty update or patch disrupting customer operations, McKay said. Keeping pace with fast development cycles requires quickly finding and fixing vulnerabilities through the use of automation and AI as well as learning from industry incidents to improve software security and client communication (see: Snyk Buys Reviewpad to Help Developers Contribute Code Fast).

"Don't miss an opportunity to learn," McKay said. "CrowdStrike has done a really good job in how they've handled it. They've communicated it, taken responsibility and helped companies like Snyk ensure those things don't happen to us."

In this video interview with Information Security Media Group, McKay also discussed:

  • The implications of the CrowdStrike outage on development practices;
  • Effective communication strategies to use with customers during incidents;
  • Leveraging automation and AI for faster, more secure development.

McKay, who has led Snyk since 2019, previously served as co-CEO and president of backup and data management platform Veeam. Before that, he led desktop-as-a-service company Desktone and spearheaded its acquisition by VMware, where he ran the virtualization giant's $3.7 billion Americas business. Prior to joining Desktone, McKay led web application security vendor Watchfire, which was acquired by IBM.


About the Author

Michael Novinson

Michael Novinson

Managing Editor, Business, ISMG

Novinson is responsible for covering the vendor and technology landscape. Prior to joining ISMG, he spent four and a half years covering all the major cybersecurity vendors at CRN, with a focus on their programs and offerings for IT service providers. He was recognized for his breaking news coverage of the August 2019 coordinated ransomware attack against local governments in Texas as well as for his continued reporting around the SolarWinds hack in late 2020 and early 2021.




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