What is CrowdStrike?

On Friday morning, July 19, 2024, several airlines, television stations, banks and other essential services ceased operations as shutdowns spread globally. The outage that caused the Blue Screen of Death error on many Windows machines globally involves a software company: CrowdStrike.

What is CrowdStrike? Picture 1

CrowdStrike plays a key role in helping companies find and prevent security breaches, claiming to have the 'fastest average time' to detect threats. Since launching in 2011, the Texas-based company has helped investigate many major cyberattacks, such as the 2014 Sony Pictures hack, as well as Russian cyberattacks on the Commission Democratic National Party in 2015 and 2016. As of the evening of July 18, 2024, CrowdStrike's valuation reached $83 billion.

According to CrowdStrike's website, the company also has about 29,000 customers, with more than 500 of them among the Fortune 1000.

But that popularity has put CrowdStrike in a position where it can cause major damage when something goes wrong, as evidenced by the massive offline shutdown of CrowdStrike-based systems and Windows-based hardware yesterday morning. CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz said Friday that the company is 'actively working with customers affected by a bug found in a content update for Windows servers' while pressing emphasized that this issue is not related to a cyber attack. It also does not affect Mac or Linux machines.

The July 19 outage was tied to CrowdStrike's flagship Falcon platform, a cloud-based solution that combines multiple security solutions into a single hub, including antivirus, protection endpoint, threat detection, and real-time monitoring to prevent unauthorized access to corporate systems.

The update in question appears to have installed faulty software into the core Windows operating system, causing the system to get stuck in a boot loop. Systems are displaying an error message stating "It appears Windows is not loading properly" while also giving users the option to try troubleshooting methods or restart the PC.

'Our software is extremely interconnected and interdependent,' Lukasz Olejnik, a researcher, consultant and author of the book Philosophy of Cybersecurity, told The Verge. 'But in general, there are a lot of weaknesses, especially when there is a software monopoly within an organization'

Although CrowdStrike has rolled out a fix, getting everything up and running is not a simple task. Olejnik told The Verge that this issue could take 'days to weeks' to resolve, as IT administrators may have to gain physical access to the device to get it working again. How quickly it happens depends on the size and resources of the IT team at the company. Olejnik added: 'Some systems in certain cases may not be recoverable, but I expect the majority will be recovered' .

5 ★ | 1 Vote

May be interested

  • 10 tips to help you become a great Pokemon trainer10 tips to help you become a great Pokemon trainer
    in the article below, tipsmake.com will introduce to you some tips to easily become a great trainer in this pokemon go game offline ...
  • How to use GoChat application in Pokémon GOHow to use GoChat application in Pokémon GO
    pokémon go has become a very hot phenomenon since its debut. any information or tricks related to the game are read and applied by players during the process of catching pokémon. and the gochat chat app for pokémon go players brings space to capture pokémon much more interesting.
  • How to play Pokemon GO in Landscape Mode on the iPhoneHow to play Pokemon GO in Landscape Mode on the iPhone
    although players can play pokemon go in portrait mode. however, if you want to watch and play games on a large and eye-catching screen, players can switch to playing games in landscape mode.
  • The secret to controlling Pokemon Go employees at workThe secret to controlling Pokemon Go employees at work
    these days, hr managers are faced with an extremely painful problem that is the status of priority employees playing pokemon go more than work. this has caused a small impact on productivity and efficiency.
  • Check out the 'buffalo' Pokémon in Pokémon GoCheck out the 'buffalo' Pokémon in Pokémon Go
    each type of pokemon has hp, cp, ability to attack and endure differently. based on these indicators, players can determine as well as choosing the most powerful pokemon for their offensive tactics.
  • Sitting home can also locate Pokemon around, do you believe it?Sitting home can also locate Pokemon around, do you believe it?
    the tightening of the niantic developers' rules to prevent players from abusing the support tools also brings annoyance, such as those who have no conditions to move much, go away, it is hard to know. get the location of the pokemon around the area they live in
  • 5 undeniable benefits when playing Pokemon Go5 undeniable benefits when playing Pokemon Go
    get to know many new people, breathe fresh air, relieve stress, increase concentration thanks to going out for a walk .... are compelling reasons to force you to try pokemon go now .
  • Want to earn the fastest Pokécoins in Pokémon Go? So don't miss this article!Want to earn the fastest Pokécoins in Pokémon Go?  So don't miss this article!
    pokécoins in pokémon go play the role of buying items in the store. the more coins you earn, the more likely you are to buy more items. to earn pokécoins, players will have to complete certain tasks or buy real money.
  • Pokémon systems when fighting in Pokémon GoPokémon systems when fighting in Pokémon Go
    each pokémon system in pokémon go has different strengths, along with a specific weakness. this type of pokémon will have the power to attack the other pokémon, but can defeat the other pokémon. if you know the characteristics of each type, it will be easier to choose which pokémon to battle.
  • The terms you need to know when playing Pokémon GoThe terms you need to know when playing Pokémon Go
    pokémon go is the most prominent name in recent days. this game of capturing and training virtual animals has created a relatively new way of playing, as players have to constantly move to catch pokémon. during the process of joining pokémon go, you will encounter and use a lot of important terms. so what do they mean?