Ahoy, digital navigators! Batten down the hatches and grab your keyboards, because we’re diving into the deep waters of the recent cyber tempest that rocked the tech world. On July 19, 2024, a software update gone awry sent waves through the digital seas, causing widespread chaos across Microsoft’s services and showcasing the intricate dance of technology – sometimes it’s a waltz, and sometimes it’s a full-blown mosh pit.
What Happened?
Picture this: It’s a calm Friday morning when suddenly, like a scene from a cyber horror flick, blue screens of death (BSOD) start popping up everywhere. The culprit? A botched update from CrowdStrike, a leading cybersecurity firm, which caused Windows systems worldwide to crash, resulting in unprecedented outages.
The Details
CrowdStrike released an update to its Falcon Sensor software, but a critical error in the update caused a faulty kernel driver to be deployed. This driver, csagent.sys, was supposed to bolster security but ended up causing systems to crash with the dreaded BSOD. The issue arose from a missing null check in the code, which led to attempts to access invalid memory locations. Think of it as trying to read a note you never actually wrote – chaos ensues.
The impact was monumental. From grounded flights to disrupted cellular networks, the ripple effects of this snafu were felt globally. Airports, banks, hospitals, and countless businesses found themselves in the digital dark.
The Aftermath
CrowdStrike and Microsoft sprang into action to mitigate the damage. CrowdStrike released a statement acknowledging the issue and provided a workaround solution. They advised affected users to boot their systems into Safe Mode and delete the faulty driver manually.
Microsoft, on the other hand, offered technical guidance and support to help users restore functionality. They also worked closely with CrowdStrike to expedite a permanent fix.
How to Protect Yourself
While we hope you weren’t caught in this particular storm, it serves as a poignant reminder of the importance of robust cyber hygiene. Here are some steps to keep your digital ship afloat:
Keep Software Updated: Regularly update your software to ensure you have the latest security patches. But, always verify the update source.
Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): This adds an extra layer of security, making it harder for cyber pirates to plunder your data.
Regular Backups: Ensure you have regular backups of your critical data. If a storm hits, you’ll be able to restore your system without losing valuable information.
Stay Informed: Keep up with the latest cybersecurity news. Knowledge is your best defense against the ever-evolving tactics of cybercriminals.
Final Thoughts
The CrowdStrike-Microsoft outage of July 2024 is a stark reminder of how interconnected and vulnerable our digital world can be. As we continue to sail through these cyber seas, it’s crucial to stay vigilant and prepared. Remember, in the world of cybersecurity, it’s always better to be a step ahead than a step behind.
Stay safe, stay informed, and may your digital voyages be smooth and secure!
If you use a Windows-based computer, you are aware of Patch Tuesday and also the dark side of Windows patching. To say Microsoft’s patching process is riddled with issues would be a kind gesture.
The last several Windows 10 updates were buggy, and, in some instances catastrophic if installed. I often envision the Microsoft patching process as a game of whack-a-mole: one issue is addressed, another bursts onto the scene and the cycle seems to loop continuously.
In October 2019, Microsoft released a new update that was designed to remedy a printer driver issue from the previous update. However, many users encountered the nightmare for all Windows users: The Blue Screen of Death. If you’re not familiar with the Blue Screen, I’ll summarize. Your PC stops functioning completely.
In October, those who encountered the dreaded Blue Screen had to roll back their machines to a previous version of Windows, if they did so within ten days of installing the update. As usual, miscellaneous applications and settings had to be restored, but at least you could resurrect your PC.
Fast forward a few months and Microsoft did it again; an update is causing major problems for some.
The February Windows 10 update, KB4532693, contains almost 100 different bug fixes and some enhancements to improve user interaction, but there’s another problem lurking among the update.
Your data is deleted.
Yeah, you read that correctly, not a Blue Screen of Death, arguably, something worse. Reports from many Windows forums reveal that Windows 10 will sometimes fail to load user profiles correctly following the installation of the February update. As a result, personal files and settings disappear. Some researchers suggest the issue is related to the mechanism Windows uses to install the update. A temporary user profile is created by the update process and the profile isn’t waived, rather, Windows gets “stuck” in the temporary profile, resulting in loss of data to your other profiles.
In the forums that I reviewed, users who experienced the issue didn’t lose all data; however, in all instances when the error occurred, all files saved to the Desktop, custom wallpapers and icons vanish.
Microsoft hasn’t issued a response to the complaints, yet. However, Windows 10’s rollback feature appears to address the problem.
If you observe the issue, I suggest rolling back to the most previous working version of Windows 10. The steps follow.
Click the Start button and select settings. Go to “Update & Security”, then select Recovery. Under “Go back to the previous version of Windows 10”, choose “Get started”. Follow the instructions. Eventually the PC will prompt for a restart, and, your device should revert.
But, please note, Windows 10 can only rollback within a ten-day window following an update – if you miss the timeframe, the rollback option is no longer available.
For me, I advocate for keeping devices updated. It’s a solid method for securing a device against known vulnerabilities and ensures that you have the latest features and functionality. Microsoft’s poor history with updates is disconcerting. Many people are afraid to enable auto-updates due to the continued failures, more strikingly, large organizations fear Microsoft patches – the looming concern of “breaking” the business is a palpable anxiety.
I don’t know how Microsoft tests and manages quality for the patches. I recognize that their software is wildly popular and testing every permutation and application isn’t a reasonable expectation; however, exposing users to a seemingly incompetent process only erodes confidence and instills a reticence to staying current. In fact, Windows users often litter discussion forums with questions of “who’s done it”, hoping to find the poor soul who jumped before looking.
Let’s hope Microsoft recognizes that new features don’t outweigh reliable, safe operations.
Shifting gears, a bit, MGM Resorts recently announced a data breach. The breach occurred in July 2019, resulting in data compromise of nearly 11 million guests.
MGM didn’t specifically express the number of affected guests; however, a cybercrime monitoring firm offered that 10.6 million people had their information breached.
According to a statement from MGM Resorts, they discovered the breach last summer. The stolen data was stored in a cloud server. Among the data were basic “phone book information”. Apparently, names, email addresses, phone numbers and physical addresses were the main items stored in the cloud server. A much smaller number of guests’ driver license, military ID and passport information were exposed.
ZDNet revealed the personal information theft, indicating that it was accessible on a hacking forum. After the ZDNet report, MGM Resorts published a statement in which they acknowledged the event. The statement indicated that they hired two cybersecurity companies to assist in the investigation and pledged to upgrade the security systems.
MGM Resorts further stated, “We are confident that no financial, payment card or password data was involved in this matter.” MGM indicated they notified guests according to state data breach laws. Law enforcement is also working the incident, no indication of the cybercriminal was offered, and, no one has overtly issued claim to the breach.
Given that most state data breach notification laws do not require victims to be notified when the stolen information is limited to basic data, such as directory information, it’s likely that many of those affected have no idea their information exists among the breached data.
If you’ve stayed at an MGM Resort property recently, I suggest you follow basic fraud monitoring techniques; even though no financial data seems to exist among the data, we only know what has been released and stated. Taking a few precautions isn’t a bad idea.
Check your financial accounts for fraudulent activity. If you observe something odd, contact your financial services provider and seek a review. If you employ credit monitoring, check your credit reports. If you don’t, request a free report. Again, if you notice something peculiar, report it.
And lastly, consider changing your passwords. Despite the relatively low quality of the data, password guessing success increases as the volume of pertinent data increases.
Watch those patches and check your financial records. Be safe.
Fabella Security 
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