Is this just the beginning? Solar storm and “Technological Middle Ages” –

The worst computer crash in history: this is how the global chaos caused by the buggy update of CrowdStrike’s antivirus on Microsoft Windows computers has been defined. PCs affected and stopped, flights and train journeys cancelled, technical and alarming consequences in every sector. A nightmare Friday, July 19th that could have been only the appetizer of an extreme solar storm. But let’s take a step back. What happened? Due to a faulty update of the cyber security suite “Falcon Sensor” (a powerful antivirus) of the American company CrowdStrike, a huge number of devices and servers with Microsoft Windows operating system went haywire. Although the problem was solved quickly, there are still consequences. Human error has knocked out a hyper-connected and technology-dependent planet.

It seems that last Friday’s episode could be just a small taste of much more catastrophic events. While we wait for Epochalypse (or Y2038), a computer bug that in 2038 will hit 32-bit systems triggering calculation errors with potentially devastating effects, there is a phenomenon that could put us in serious trouble: an extreme geomagnetic storm of class G5. Something similar has already happened between September 1 and 2, 1859. It was called the “Carrington Event”. A coronal mass ejection from the star sent an energetic flow of electrically charged particles towards our planet that induced eddy currents through cables and telegraphs, which caught fire and caused shocks. Now, there are those who speak of the possibility of ending up in a “technological Dark Ages”.

David Wallace, a professor of electrical engineering at Mississippi State University, discussed the issue in an article published on The Conversation, expressing his concerns about it. “Geomagnetic storms generate induced currents that flow through the electrical grid. Geomagnetically induced currents, which can exceed 100 amperes, flow into electrical components connected to the grid, such as transformers, relays and sensors. One hundred amperes is equivalent to the electrical service provided to many households. Currents of this size can cause internal damage to components, leading to large-scale power outages,” he explained. Power grids and satellites could collapse.