In an era increasingly reliant on technology, cyber attacks have become an imminent threat to both institutions and individuals. Consequently, the urgent need for effective security solutions that keep pace with the rapid developments in hackers' methods has emerged.
CrowdStrike: a protective shield in the world of escalating cyber threats
CrowdStrike is a leading company in the field of cybersecurity, offering comprehensive solutions to protect organizations from advanced cyber threats. Founded in 2011 by a group of experts in the field, including George Kurtz, the former CEO of McAfee, CrowdStrike quickly gained a solid reputation thanks to its advanced cloud platform, which provides immediate and effective protection against all types of cyber attacks.
CrowdStrike's technology is based on the principle of "live hunting" (Falcon Endpoint Protection), enabling it to detect malware and other threats very early, before they can harm the system. The company also offers a wide range of other services, such as incident response, penetration testing, and cybersecurity training.
CrowdStrike has received widespread recognition for its innovative security solutions. It has been listed as a leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Endpoint Protection Platforms for several consecutive years.
CrowdStrike has also received numerous prestigious awards, such as the Frost & Sullivan Award for Cybersecurity Innovation of the Year.
But what sets CrowdStrike apart from other cybersecurity companies?
1. Advanced Technology:
CrowdStrike relies on the "Live Hunting" technology, which is one of the latest and most effective technologies in the field of cybersecurity.
This technology allows for the early detection of threats, even before they can cause any damage, ensuring superior protection for organizations.
2. User-Friendly Cloud Platform:
CrowdStrike offers an easy-to-use cloud platform that allows organizations to manage all aspects of cybersecurity from a single location. The platform also enables easy scalability and adaptability to the organization's changing needs.
3. Low Total Cost of Ownership:
CrowdStrike provides competitive-priced security solutions with a low total cost of ownership in the long term. Organizations can benefit from these solutions without needing substantial investments in security infrastructure.
4. A team of experienced cybersecurity experts:
CrowdStrike has a team of highly experienced cybersecurity experts, who provide ongoing support to organizations to help them protect themselves from cyber threats. Organizations can leverage the expertise of these experts for best cybersecurity tips and best practices.
5. Commitment to continuous innovation:
CrowdStrike is a leader in cybersecurity innovation. The company continues to continuously develop its technologies and solutions To ensure that they always offer the best possible protection against evolving cyber threats.
If you're looking for reliable protection for your digital assets, CrowdStrike is the perfect solution for you.
The company offers a wide range of solutions to suit the needs of all types of organizations,
Blue Screen of Death
On July 19, 2024, numerous IT systems globally encountered outages, leading to ongoing disruptions across various industries due to a faulty CrowdStrike update.
The incident caused Windows machines to experience blue screens of death. The American cybersecurity company CrowdStrike acknowledged their role in the issues. A driver update associated with CrowdStrike's Falcon Driver security software has been identified as the root cause.
Global Impact
Outages have been experienced in Italy, Australia, Germany, Sweden, New Zealand, Japan, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, the United States, and India.
The outage impacted other technology services, particularly Microsoft, leading to a domino effect of outages.
United States
A ground stop was issued by United, Delta, and American Airlines. Flights already in the air will continue, but no new flights will take off. Alaska is experiencing issues in 911 emergency call centers as well as non-emergency call centers.
India
Indigo Airlines, Akasa Air, and SpiceJet are experiencing outages, leading to the issuance of handwritten boarding passes. Major IT firms in India, including Oracle and Nokia, are also affected, resulting in thousands of issues reported by employees and devices stuck in Bootloop, currently unable to recover.
United Kingdom
The 24-hour news channel Sky News was unable to broadcast live. Several airports, including Edinburgh, experienced difficulties, such as frozen departure boards. Rail companies were also affected. Some NHS services, such as GP surgeries that rely on the EMIS Web software, were unable to view and manage medical records and appointments.
Australia
Australian media firms affected include ABC, SBS, Seven Network, and Nine Network. Airlines such as Qantas, Virgin Australia, and Jetstar were impacted. A Sydney Airport spokesperson mentioned that some airline operations were affected and that delays might occur throughout the evening. Melbourne Airport was also affected.
Germany
Many German entities, including Berlin Airport, experienced issues, with flights halted until 8 am GMT.
New Zealan
Businesses like ANZ, ASB, Kiwibank, and Westpac banks, Woolworths, and Auckland Transport's HOP card experienced issues. Christchurch Airport and the New Zealand Parliament also faced problems.
Netherlands
In the Netherlands, Schiphol Airport, KNAB bank, Transavia Airlines, government services, and hospitals began canceling operations and scaling down medical care.
Philippines
IT workers in the Philippines using Windows laptops experienced the Blue Screen of Death.
South Korea
The airline Jeju Air experienced issues.
The problem occurred after a new update to a program called CrowdStrike Falcon Sensor, which is related to cybersecurity. This caused a malfunction in the Windows system, resulting in a blue screen and continuous device reboots.
The main affected parties so far are:
- - Major banks, media outlets, airports, and airlines, all of which have experienced significant IT disruptions.
- - Payment systems have also been affected worldwide, including in Australia and the UK.
- - The Australian government has called for an emergency meeting to address the issue.
- - Microsoft services have been significantly impacted, leading to the disruption of some services.
- - Emergency services (911) have been disrupted in several US states, including Alaska, Arizona, Indiana, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Ohio.
- - The London Stock Exchange's services have been noticeably affected.
- - Sky News has ceased broadcasting.
The problem has not been resolved yet, and the company is working on updating its program and resolving the issue according to their statement.
CrowdStrike is actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts. Mac and Linux hosts are not impacted. This is not a security incident or cyberattack. The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed. We refer customers to the support portal for the latest updates and will continue to provide complete and continuous updates on our website. We further recommend organizations ensure they’re communicating with CrowdStrike representatives through official channels. Our team is fully mobilized to ensure the security and stability of CrowdStrike customers.
