To: Board of Supervisors
From: Supervisor Rex Bohn
Agenda Section: Initiated by Board Member
Vote Requirement: Majority
SUBJECT:
title
Recognition of Humboldt County's Information Technology Professionals for Exemplary Work and Dedication During the CrowdStrike Emergency
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RECOMMENDATION(S):
Recommendation
That the Board of Supervisors:
1. Recognize Humboldt County's Information Technology professionals for their exemplary work and dedication during the CrowdStrike emergency; and
2. Present Certificates of Appreciation.
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STRATEGIC PLAN:
This action supports the following areas of your Board's Strategic Plan.
Area of Focus: Core Services/Other
Strategic Plan Category: 3001 - Support a well-trained workforce
DISCUSSION:
On Thursday, July 18, 2024, at 9:30 p.m. a widespread issue with CrowdStrike's endpoint protection software caused Windows machines to experience Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) errors. This incident affected all CrowdStrike customers around the globe, including the County of Humboldt. Multiple county departments experienced significant disruptions as Windows machines became inoperable due to the BSOD errors.
At 9:30 p.m. that day, County IT Technician II Carson Browne discovered an issue during routine maintenance. By 10 p.m., Information Technology Director Scott Irving was notified, and IT Security Analyst II Scott Kimball was brought in, suspecting a potential security attack. Browne and Kimball identified CrowdStrike as the cause and found a workaround. By 11 p.m., the fix was in place.
Director Irving assembled a Critical Initial Response team consisting of himself, Carson Browne, Scott Kimball and County IT Technician II Shur Yang and they went to work getting critical services back online. By 2:30 a.m. Friday, July 19, 2024, all critical services for 24-hour facilities were back online.
At 6:30 a.m. on Friday, July 19, 2024, Director Irving brief DHHS Deputy Director Zach Smith over the phone on the outage. At 7 ...
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