How CrowdStrike’s outage became Australia’s big cyberattack rehearsal

Qantas chairman John Mullen got the “blue screen of death”, while Telstra’s cyber chief Narelle Devine was in the pool sipping cocktails when she got the call that something was seriously wrong.

Telstra’s Narelle Devine, Qantas chairman John Mullen and ASD director-general Abigail Bradshaw said the CrowdStrike outage provided important lessons for corporate Australia. Bethany Rae

Tess Bennett and Paul Smith

Sep 20, 2024 – 2.44pm

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While she floated in a swimming pool sipping a cocktail, enjoying the rare feeling of getting away from it all, Telstra cybersecurity chief Narelle Devine’s phone began an incessant beeping – something was going seriously wrong at work.

Qantas chairman John Mullen was tapping away on his laptop as the end of the working week approached when he was confronted with the dreaded “blue screen of death”.

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Tess BennettTechnology reporterTess Bennett is a technology reporter with The Australian Financial Review, based in the Brisbane newsroom. She was previously the work & careers reporter.

Paul SmithTechnology editorPaul Smith edits the technology coverage and has been a leading writer on the sector for 20 years. He covers big tech, business use of tech, the fast-growing Australian tech industry and start-ups, telecommunications and national innovation policy.