Globally used security software for Windows pushed out an automatic update that killed windows workstations and servers. It causes machines to blue screen on reboot, and there is no remote fix to push out to fix it. Tons of windows servers and workstations around the world were automatically killed overnight. It’s a global computer outage for a number of very large systems and services. https://www.wired.com/story/microsoft-windows-outage-crowdstrike-global-it-probems/
Nett can most definitely explain it better than me, but it's a platform that and most computers, tablets and other devices that use Microsoft, were facing the blue screen of death this morning. There was an update that had some faulty code in it, I think. So, lots of major corporations - airlines, banks, transit authorities, hospitals, 911 centers - were all facing major trouble, communication and security issues this morning. And, on top of that, overnight, Microsoft had a problem with 365 stuff like Teams, that was a separate issue. ETA: Yeah, what Nett said.
I mean, I work in a warehouse that runs conveyer belts of clothing in cardboard boxes, and we were dead this morning. Hearing about coworkers whose families had redirected flights due to it…just a typical Friday in 2024.
Why does it only hit some Windows computers? Both mine and my wife's are working fine this morning. Or should we just not reboot?
What's ironic is software designed to defend, essentially carried out the biggest network attack ever.
Glad I'm on vacation this week. We have CS deployed across all of our servers. Got a page at 2 AM, turned my phone off and went back to sleep. Felt good.
I know nothing about tech but I read this morning it was more a server/database level issue and not the individual personal computer level issue?
It's a paid-for commercial add-on for Windows, by a non-MS company... so it only affects Windows OS, but not everyone uses or pays for the security software that caused it. Lots do, though... lots of big companies.
Nope... tons of end-user workstations at work are down. Half my team (the part that runs Windows) woke up to their dev boxes rebooting over and over again.
Crowdstrike runs at kernel level, or at least requires access to it. Basically it's the lowest level of a system that allows hardware to talk to software, etc. It requires that access so it can start monitoring before malware in the OS starts to function. When something fucks up at that layer, it takes everything with it.
Yeah... our company also uses Bitlocker, so in order to do the fix, they first had to unfuck the Bitlocker servers to get individual overrides for everyone affected, then they had to boot into safe mode... so much fun. While a bunch of us running Mac and Linux just went on about our day.
Is workstation just a fancy word for personal computer? Aren’t work computers normally run through company servers unlike a home computer that wouldn’t be? Generally curious. I might as well be a boomer with my level of computer knowledge.
Workstation is just a generic term for a computer/laptop used to do work, as opposed to a server. It's usually a standalone computer running its own OS, with software to try and keep it secure, such as VPNs, or Crowdstrike. It usually is at a desk with a monitor, keyboard, mouse (or laptop in a home office), as opposed to a server that sits in a rack or in the cloud, without monitors, keyboards, mice, etc.
This is one of the biggest reason I've always wondered why governments don't use Mac & Linux as a standard instead of the exception.