Millions of Windows computer users around the world are currently facing the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) error, which causes their systems to suddenly shut down or restart. This disruption is very severe. Airports have been affected. Banks have also been affected. Companies have also been affected. Super stores are closed.

Microsoft has apparently discovered the root of this problem in a recent update to CrowdStrike. And CrowdStrike has acknowledged the problem. But the question is: what is CrowdStrike? Many people are hearing about it for the first time today.

What is CrowdStrike?

CrowdStrike is a cybersecurity company based in the US. And the reason you haven’t heard much about it yet is that unlike some other cybersecurity companies – like Kaspersky or Symantec – CrowdStrike is typically used by large organizations, government agencies, and critical places like airports and banks. We, regular users, on the other hand, don’t put CrowdStrike antivirus on our systems.

This is also because CrowdStrike has focused on government clients and high-profile cybersecurity since its inception in 2011. For example, it is the same company that helped the US government understand North Korean hackers when they hacked Sony. And it is the same company that worked with government agencies when Russian hackers broke into the Democratic Party’s servers in the US.

Due to its high-profile status and reputation for fighting against advanced hackers or even state-sponsored cyber attacks, CrowdStrike is often used by government agencies or companies performing critical functions, such as organizations that run airports.

Omer Grossman, Chief Information Officer (CIO) of CyberArk, said, “The current incident – ​​even in July – appears to be one of the most significant cyber issues of 2024. The damage to business processes on a global scale is dramatic. The glitch is due to a software update to CrowdStrike’s EDR product. This is a product that runs with high privileges that protects endpoints. A flaw in it, as we are seeing in the current incident, can crash the operating system.”

He said, “There are two main issues on the agenda: the first is how to get customers back online and regain continuity of business processes. It turns out that since the endpoints have crashed – Blue Screen of Death – they cannot be updated remotely and the issue has to be resolved manually, endpoint by endpoint. This is expected to be a process that will take several days.”

So why is everyone talking about CrowdStrike?

Everyone is talking about CrowdStrike because it is the reason thousands of important Windows computers around the world are glitching with BSOD aka Blue Screen of Death, halting many activities and slowing down others. The disruptions are widespread and everyone is asking what CrowdStrike is. As people are stranded in airports or banks, they are asking what CrowdStrike is.

For this issue, CrowdStrike has just given a simple statement. The flaw is apparently in a software suite called Falcon Sensors, which maintains the cybersecurity of the system. CrowdStrike has apparently released an update for this system and this bug is the reason why computers are turning blue with BSOD.

“Our engineers are actively working to resolve this issue and there is no need to open a support ticket,” CrowdStrike said in a statement.

There is currently no automated solution to the CrowdStrike issue. But the company has offered a manual solution in a note to its customers. It says:

1. Boot Windows into Safe Mode or WRE.

2. Go to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\CrowdStrike

3. Locate and delete the file that matches “C-00000291*.sys”

Boot up normally.

Microsoft’s response to CrowdStrike aka Windows blue screen problem?

Microsoft is treating this incident with the highest priority. According to their service status website, they are addressing the impact on the remaining Microsoft 365 apps that are still down.

In a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter), Microsoft 365 status indicated that they are “investigating an issue impacting users’ ability to access various Microsoft 365 apps and services.” They are working on redirecting affected traffic to alternate systems to minimize the impact as much as possible, as well as focusing on redirecting traffic to healthy systems.

“We’re aware of an issue affecting Windows devices caused by an update to a third-party software platform. We expect a resolution soon,” a Microsoft spokesperson said.