Norfolk Southern provides technology outage update

Rhea-AI Summary

Norfolk Southern Corporation provides an update on the root-cause analysis of the recent system outage, revealing that it was not related to a cybersecurity incident. The outage was caused by a defect in the software of the company's data storage system during a routine maintenance procedure. Norfolk Southern is working with the vendor to prevent future incidents and ensure system resilience.

Positive

• The system outage was not caused by a cybersecurity incident
• Norfolk Southern is working with the vendor to strengthen their systems and prevent future incidents
• The company expects a full recovery of network fluidity in the coming weeks

Negative

• None.

 ATLANTA, Sept. 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) is substantially complete with a root-cause analysis of the system outage that occurred on Monday. The company provided the following update on the findings to date:

We are substantially complete with a root-cause analysis of this outage. To date, we have found no indication that this was related to an unauthorized cybersecurity incident. 

Norfolk Southern's data storage system is manufactured and maintained by a leading global technology provider. During a routine maintenance procedure being performed by our vendor, a defect in their software created an error which caused both our primary and recovery data storage systems to become unresponsive. This in turn affected our core operational systems. We are working closely with the vendor to understand the steps they are taking to strengthen their systems to prevent this incident from reoccurring and identify opportunities for Norfolk Southern to become more resilient.

Throughout this, our IT team worked tirelessly to restore our systems, our Marketing team worked closely with customers to keep them informed, and our Operations team safely brought our network back online. We are making progress on the temporary backlog of trains that resulted from this incident, and expect a full recovery of network fluidity in the coming weeks.

About Norfolk Southern

Since 1827, Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) and its predecessor companies have safely moved the goods and materials that drive the U.S. economy. Today, it operates a customer-centric and operations-driven freight transportation network. Committed to furthering sustainability, Norfolk Southern helps its customers avoid 15 million tons of yearly carbon emissions by shipping via rail. Its dedicated team members deliver more than 7 million carloads annually, from agriculture to consumer goods, and is the largest rail shipper of auto products and metals in North America. Norfolk Southern also has the most extensive intermodal network in the eastern U.S., serving a majority of the country's population and manufacturing base, with connections to every major container port on the Atlantic coast as well as the Gulf of Mexico and Great Lakes. Learn more by visiting www.NorfolkSouthern.com.

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SOURCE Norfolk Southern Corporation

FAQ

What caused the system outage?

The system outage was caused by a defect in the software of Norfolk Southern's data storage system during a routine maintenance procedure.

Was the system outage related to a cybersecurity incident?

No, there is no indication that the system outage was related to a cybersecurity incident.

What is Norfolk Southern doing to prevent future incidents?

Norfolk Southern is working closely with the vendor to strengthen their systems and prevent future incidents from occurring.

When can we expect a full recovery of network fluidity?

Norfolk Southern expects a full recovery of network fluidity in the coming weeks.