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Breaking: CrowdStrike code update bricking Windows machines around the world

c0lo writes:

Announcement

UPDATED An update to a product from infosec vendor CrowdStrike is bricking computers running Windows.

The Register has found numerous accounts of Windows 10 PCs crashing, displaying the Blue Screen of Death, then being unable to reboot.

"We're seeing BSOD Org wide that are being caused by csagent.sys, and it's taking down critical services. I'll open a ticket, but this is a big deal," wrote one user.

Forums report that Crowdstrike has issued an advisory with a URL that includes the text "Tech-Alert-Windows-crashes-related-to-Falcon-Sensor-2024-07-19" – but it's behind a regwall that only customers can access.

An apparent screenshot of that article reads "CrowdStrike is aware of reports of crashes on Windows hosts related to the Falcon Sensor. Symptoms include hosts experiencing a bugcheck\blue screen error related to the Falcon Sensor."

CrowdStrike's engineers are working on the issue.

Falcon Sensor is an agent that CrowdStrike claims "blocks attacks on your systems while capturing and recording activity as it happens to detect threats fast."

Right now, however, the sensor appears to be the threat.

This is a developing story and The Register will update it as new info comes to hand. ®

Updated at 0730 UTC to add Brody Nisbet, CrowdStrike's chief threat hunter, has confirmed the issue and on X posted the following:

There is a faulty channel file, so not quite an update. There is a workaround... 1. Boot Windows into Safe Mode or WRE. 2. Go to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\CrowdStrike 3. Locate and delete file matching "C-00000291*.sys" 4. Boot normally.

In a later post he wrote "That workaround won't help everyone though and I've no further actionable help to provide at the minute".
More to come as the situation evolves ...

In Australia, CrowdStrike IT outage hits airports, banks, supermarkets as emergency committee meets

A major network outage has affected several Australian institutions and businesses, including multiple airports, the Commonwealth Bank, Optus, Australia Post and Woolworths.

Original Submission #1  Original Submission #2 

Major Global IT Outage Grounds Planes and Blocks Media Worldwide

upstart writes:

Airports and other key infrastructure sites around the world have reported disruptions amid problems with communications:

Disruption to air traffic control systems is being reported around the world. Preliminary reports say a computer glitch may be causing the problem. Issues have arisen in the US, Spain, Germany, Australia, and elsewhere, with authorities forced to cancel takeoffs and landings due to safety concerns.

The outage was first reported about midnight CET on Thursday night/Friday.

The failure may have been caused by a software update that locks Microsoft operating systems and is reportedly not restricted to airlines. Some banks, emergency services, broadcasters, and financial institutions are also said to have been affected.

Computers using Windows 10 OS are reportedly crashing and showing "the blue screen of death" (BSOD) after an update for a security product provided by the firm CrowdStrike. The company is reportedly working on resolving the issue.

Brody Nisbet, CrowdStrike's chief threat hunter, has offered a workaround to deal with what he called a "faulty channel file" related to the Falcon Sensor cybersecurity app.

See also:

• Crowdstrike and Microsoft: What we know about global IT outage
• RT

Julian Assange has been released from a British prison and is expected to plead guilty to violating US espionage law, in a deal that would allow him to return home to his native Australia.

Assange, 52, agreed to plead guilty to a single criminal count of conspiring to obtain and disclose classified US national defence documents, according to filings in the US district court for the Northern Mariana Islands.

Wikileaks posted on social media a video of its founder boarding a flight at London's Stansted airport on Monday evening and Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese confirmed he had left the UK.

https://www.theguardian.com/media/article/2024/jun/25/julian-assange-may-be-on-his-way-to-freedom-but-this-is-not-a-clear-victory-for-freedom-of-the-press

The release from a UK prison of Julian Assange is a victory for him and his many supporters around the world, but not necessarily a clear win for the principle underlying his defence, the freedom of the press.

The charges Assange is anticipated to plead guilty to as part of a US deal, and for which he will be sentenced to time served, are drawn from the 1917 Espionage Act, for "conspiring to unlawfully obtain and disseminate classified information related to the national defense of the United States".

So although the WikiLeaks founder is expected to walk free from the US district court in Saipan after Wednesday's hearing, the Espionage Act will still hang over the heads of journalists reporting on national security issues, not just in the US. Assange himself is an Australian, not a US citizen.

Live: Father of Julian Assange hints at son's return to Australia after prison release - ABC News:

Nothing is certain until it happens and there's a lot we still don't know about how Julian Assange's case will proceed.

A lot of our understanding at this stage is coming from the court documents, which state that he'll appear before a judge in Saipan at 9am local time tomorrow.

An email from the Department of Justice (DOJ) to the judge in the Northern Mariana Islands states that Assange is expected to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information, and that he'll be sentenced for that offence.

American media outlets are reporting that the plea deal would need to be approved by the judge, and WikiLeaks has described the agreement as having "not yet been formally finalised."

But Assange's departure from the UK is a massive development in the case, and the court document says the DOJ expects he'll return to Australia "at the conclusion of the proceedings".

DannyB writes:

Massive explosion rocks SpaceX Texas facility, Starship engine in flames

Elon Musk had recently announced that Starship's fourth flight test could be just days away.

[...] SpaceX has yet to provide an update on the explosion, which took place at its Boca Chica Starbase facilities in southern Texas. The footage shows SpaceX's engine test pad going up in flame.

The footage started a little after 4:12 pm local time. Roughly 14 seconds after ignition, the Raptor engine shut off. As the vapor surrounding the test tower dissipated, a fire appeared to start underneath the engine. These flames traveled upwards, causing a second explosion to engulf the entire tower.

In a tweet accompanying a clip from the footage, NASASpaceflight wrote, "The raptor testing stand at McGregor experienced an anomaly a few moments ago. The vapors from the anomaly caused a secondary explosion on the test stand."

A short video is here.

Original Submission