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Some bad code just broke a billion Windows machines
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this post was submitted on 20 Jul 2024
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This was very much not caused by windows
This happened because a file that CrowdStrike pushed out, which by their own processes is not one that is signed, was immediately pushed out with one of their updates. This update was pushed directly through CrowdStrike’s own method, not via Windows Update. CrowdStrike maintains this capability in order to quickly respond to and prevent security threats. The fact that they have .sys files that aren’t signed is crazy on its own, and a huge screwup by CrowdStrike. So many companies relied upon and trusted this company because up until now, everybody considered it a great product, so it was extremely popular and prevalent. It’s been a huge wake up call for everybody in I.T.
I'm not sure if you intended to reply to me, but I am aware of this. Thanks for checking my understanding though :)
lol you are correct. I meant to reply to the other guy. Low on sleep like many of us here
In a way, it was. If Windows was not as crappy as it is, external solutions would not be needed.
Linux machines also require Crowdstrike because of business requirements. That does mean Linux is just as crap as Windows then?
Do they really require it, or is this just the usual security theatre?
Not to jump at you in another comment thread, but any OS that is deployed in a business environment should have some form of endpoint protection installed unless it is fully airgapped + isolated.
Despite the myth that "Linux doesn't get malware", it absolutely does and should have protection installed. Even if the OS itself was immune to infection, any possible update can introduce a vulnerability to that.
Additionally, again, even if the OS (or kernel in the case of linux) couldn't be infected or attacked, the packages or services installed can be attacked, infected, or otherwise messed with and should be protected.
Probably the latter. Though, I'm not familiar enough with cybersecurity to make a comment on that.
Is your point "Linux and Mac dont get viruses or targeted for cyberattacks"?
Or is it "This wouldn't have broken on a different operating system"?
No to both. Windows is so broken, it needs kernel-level external software to protect it from attacks that should not be possible in the first place. It is a joke of history that this software was even worse than windows itself.
I see you're operating on a plane of reality where windows is the only bad software, so it's kinda pointless for me to continue here. I hope you have a wonderful day.
Windows is definitely not the only bad software, but for the amount of resources they could spend on quality, it is a rather shitty product. They could do better, but they don't want to.
I don't hear about billions of Linux or Mac computers going down all at the same time. I'm hearing that windows allows a simple text file change to bring down all of them at the same time.
Weird, cus it literally happened a few months ago:
https://www.neowin.net/news/crowdstrike-broke-debian-and-rocky-linux-months-ago-but-no-one-noticed/
This was in no way a Windows problem, this was entirely a CrowdStrike problem. Claiming otherwise makes you look like an uninformed moron.
They are most likely uninformed with a very strong opinion based on how they feel...while I'd like to call them a moron I've done this exact thing and like to think I'm not a moron.
Calling a kernel mode driver a "simple text file" sure is interesting
Even if you write assembly code straight out like a total hacker, it's still a text file. Literally jump 0x12345 is text. And if it's just a few kilobits long, then it's a simple text file yes. Got anything else to ad? Specially if the file actually doesn't work and the system made to run it "windows" is such shit that every copy of it got halted.
Yes and at the end of the day it's all just binary getting dumped into a cache and processed by the CPU. The point is that the intent of the file matters and while they do both hold text, the intent, purpose, and handling of the kernel mode/ring 0 driver is much different than a "simple text file"
So different in fact, that as another user pointed out, it has happened to Linux too