Cloud crash at SBB & Co.: BUND warns of IT failures

IT failures can be sensitive to traffic. The federal government demands that the companies should prepare better.

On July 19, 2024, 8.5 million Microsoft users saw blue: On their screens, the dreaded “Blue Screen of Death”, the blue death screen, appeared. This indicates that a serious error has occurred and the system cannot start.

The IT crash historical extent Stop air traffic worldwide, lame hospitals and put administrations out of action. The estimated damage was $ 10 billion. A faulty update by the software provider Crowdstrike was responsible for this. The breakdown also had direct consequences for the Microsoft cloud: the data stored there were no longer accessible to the companies concerned.

Output brings advantages, but also risks

Such a cloud crash could also paralyze Swiss rail traffic. Because local transport companies – like many companies – store data records. According to the Federal Office of Transport (BAV), this includes « digital instruments in the area of ​​security systems, railway control systems, maintenance as well as data and applications of rail power supply ».

The outsourcing enables flexibility and presses your own investment costs. But that also has disadvantages. The BAV recently warned in a letter to SBB & Co. that the « risks of a loss of control with the corresponding effects on the safety of railway operation » should not be underestimated. So far, the use of cloud computing in the federal requirements has not been explicitly regulated.

The Federal Office of Transport Minister Albert Rösti (SVP) has therefore specified its specifications. In the future, companies will have to investigate the “risk of a failure of the cloud with operating or security-relevant consequences”. Specifically, you have to determine the probability and the extent of a disorder.