CrowdStrike fixed a significant number of Windows PCs, while the rest will be brought back online faster

Last week, CrowdStrike was at the center of a storm when a faulty update to its Falcon Sensor agent on Windows caused quite the chaos. Imagine the scene: banks, airlines, and media companies worldwide face the dreaded Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), with nearly 8.5 million PCs stuck in a continuous reboot loop. The error codes? 0x50 and 0x7E. CrowdStrike and Microsoft have been on their toes, offering guidance and support to help recover the affected PCs. But let’s face it: the recovery process they initially provided was no quick fix.

CrowdStrike didn’t just sit back; according to a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), they’ve been testing a new technique to speed up the recovery process of the impacted systems. They’re even considering opting in for this method. A CrowdStrike employee on Reddit mentioned they’ve seen significant success with a cloud remediation they released. For those eager to know more, keeping an eye on CrowdStrike’s official guidance page might be a good idea.

CrowdStrike continues to focus on restoring all systems as soon as possible. Of the approximately 8.5 million Windows devices that were impacted, a significant number are back online and operational.

Together with customers, we tested a new technique to accelerate impacted…

— CrowdStrike (@CrowdStrike) July 21, 2024

Together with customers, we tested a new technique to accelerate impacted system remediation. We’re in the process of operationalizing an opt-in to this technique. We’re making progress by the minute.

CrowdStrike

Meanwhile, Microsoft wasn’t far behind. They updated their recovery tool with two repair options to help IT admins speed up the repair process. One option helps create boot media for device repair, while the other allows devices to boot safely for manual remediation.

Seeing an opportunity in the chaos, cybercriminals started a phishing campaign targeting CrowdStrike customers with a malicious ZIP file named “crowdstrike-hotfix.zip.” It’s a wild world out there, and in times like these, sticking to official channels for communication and guidance is more important than ever.