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CrowdStrike downtime apparently caused by update that replaced a file with 42kb of zeroes (twiiit.com)

submitted 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) by [email protected] to c/technology

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] 17 points 5 months ago (5 children)

Except "freak out" could have various manifestations.

In this case it was "burn down the venue".

It should have been "I'm sorry, there's been an issue, let's move on to the next speaker"

[–] [email protected] 17 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Except since it was an antivirus software the system is basically told "I must be running for you to finish booting", which does make sense as it means the antivirus can watch the system before any malicious code can get it's hooks into things.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 months ago

I don't think the kernel could continue like that. The driver runs in kernel mode and took a null pointer exception. The kernel can't know how badly it's been screwed by that, the only feasible option is to BSOD.

The driver itself is where the error handling should take place. First off it ought to have static checks to prove it can't have trivial memory errors like this. Secondly, if a configuration file fails to load, it should make a determination about whether it's safe to continue or halt the system to prevent a potential exploit. You know, instead of shitting its pants and letting Windows handle it.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 5 months ago (1 children)

In this case it was "burn down the venue".

It was more like "barricade the doors until a swat team sniper gets a clear shot at you".

[–] [email protected] 11 points 5 months ago

Hmmmm.

More like standing there and loudly shitting your pants and spreading it around the stage.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago

The envelope contains a barrel of diesel and a lit flare

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago

Computers have social anxiety.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

You're right of course and that should be on Microsoft to better implement their driver loading. But yes.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 months ago

The driver is in kernel mode. If it crashes, the kernel has no idea if any internal structures have been left in an inconsistent state. If it doesn't halt then it has the potential to cause all sorts of damage.