Windows PCs Facing Blue Screen of Death Linked to Crowdstrike

Today the whole world has witnessed the largest IT outage where most Windows PC experienced the Blue Screen of Death (BSoD). This has caused a bizarre to all the finance, flight and shopping systems worldwide. Now we got to know that this issue is due to the Crowdstrike Falcon Sensor bug.

What is Crowdstrike?

Crowdstrike may not be a household name for many, but it is a prominent cybersecurity platform used by various IT professionals. Recent reports suggest that PCs using Crowdstrike are not only encountering BSoD but also suffering from boot loops. This issue affects both Windows 10 and Windows 11. According to 7 News, major institutions in Australia, New Zealand, and other parts of the world are experiencing these problems, with potential links to Microsoft Azure.

Apart from other countries, even Malaysia is also affected by the Crowdstrike issue. Major airlines, such as AirAsia have been affected by this cyber outage also. Both domestic and international passengers were not able to check in to their flight booking system.

Crowdstrike’s Response and Workaround

If your organization uses Crowdstrike and has been affected by the BSoD, the Crowdstrike Reddit thread confirms that the company is aware of the issue related to the Falcon Sensor on Windows hosts. While Crowdstrike is actively working on a fix, the Reddit community has suggested a potential workaround:

1. Boot into Safe Mode or Windows Recovery Environment.
2. Navigate to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\CrowdStrike.
3. Remove the file C-00000291*.sys.

Alternatively, renaming the folder to something else has also been reported as effective.

Awaiting a Permanent Fix

Crowdstrike is currently working on a permanent solution, although the timeline for this fix is still unclear. IT professionals should stay updated through official Crowdstrike channels and community forums for the latest developments.

Key Takeaway

If your IT environment uses Crowdstrike and you’re experiencing BSoD issues, following the above workaround may help mitigate the problem temporarily. Stay tuned for updates from Crowdstrike for a permanent resolution.