this post was submitted on 19 Jul 2024
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CrowdStrike downtime apparently caused by update that replaced a file with 42kb of zeroes (twiiit.com)
submitted 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
189 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

…according to a Twitter post by the Chief Informational Security Officer of Grand Canyon Education.

So, does anyone else find it odd that the file that caused everything CrowdStrike to freak out, C-00000291-
00000000-00000032.sys was 42KB of blank/null values, while the replacement file C-00000291-00000000-
00000.033.sys was 35KB and looked like a normal, if not obfuscated sys/.conf file?

Also, apparently CrowdStrike had at least 5 hours to work on the problem between the time it was discovered and the time it was fixed.

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[–] [email protected] 36 points 3 months ago (19 children)

The fact that a single bad file can cause a kernel panic like this tells you everything you need to know about using this kind of integrated security product. Crowdstrike is apparently a rootkit, and windows apparently has zero execution integrity.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I don't remember much about my OS courses from 20 years back, but I do recall something about walls between user space and kernel space. The fact that an update from the Internet could enter kernel space is insane to me.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 months ago (1 children)

You mean you don’t update your kernel?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I do, but I do it on my terms when I know it is stable. I don't allow anyone to push updates to my system.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 months ago

Agreed. Point is, I’m pretty sure programs in kernel space can still read stuff in user space, which can be easily updated.

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