Microsoft Admits Underestimate of CrowdStrike Outage Impact

Microsoft recently announced that their initial estimate of 8.5 million devices affected by the CrowdStrike software update outage was an underestimation. The recent outage caused massive disruptions, including grounded flights and other major industry inconveniences.

The tech giant has pledged to reduce the reliance on kernel drivers by infosec vendors, as they were identified as the root cause of the problem. Microsoft's Vice President for Enterprise and OS Security, David Weston, highlighted the importance of balancing the advantages and potential impact of kernel drivers on system resilience.

In addressing the issue, Microsoft suggested that security vendors minimize kernel usage by using minimal sensors in kernel mode for data collection and enforcement. Weston expressed that Windows is committed to innovating new methods for security tools to detect and respond to threats in a secure manner.

As for the CrowdStrike outage, the company reported that 97% of affected servers are back online, with a commitment to remediate all disruptions. Microsoft has yet to disclose the total number of devices impacted and how many are currently back in operation.

The importance of cybersecurity and system resilience has never been more evident as tech companies work to prevent such outages in the future.