Microsoft has revealed plans to convene a specialized conference in September, aimed at dissecting the pivotal takeaways and security strategies the tech industry should adopt following the CrowdStrike computer shutdown incident that occurred in July. The summit, titled the Windows Endpoint Security Ecosystem Summit, is scheduled for September 10 and will be held at Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington.
The summit is set to bring together experts from Microsoft, CrowdStrike, and various other cybersecurity and computer security firms. These industry leaders will engage in discussions about altering industry norms and the deployment of applications designed to avert similar computer shutdowns in the future.
A key topic of conversation, as disclosed by an executive on the condition of anonymity, will be the shift towards applications that predominantly utilize Windows’ user mode rather than kernel mode. The distinction is significant because the July system outage was linked to CrowdStrike’s agent operating in kernel mode, which grants software unfettered access to a system’s resources and hardware. By contrast, applications running in user mode are more compartmentalized, reducing the risk of them causing widespread system failures.
Participants at the summit will also delve into the integration of eBPF (extended Berkeley Packet Filter) technology into systems, which allows for the monitoring of programs without inciting system-wide crashes. Additionally, the conference will host dialogues on the adoption of more secure programming languages, such as Rust, which offers a safer alternative to traditional languages like C or C++.
The CrowdStrike debacle, which was attributed to defective testing software included in an update, led to the shutdown of approximately 8.5 million Windows machines on July 19. This incident resulted in the infamous ‘blue screen of death’ across systems used by banks, airlines, and businesses globally, highlighting the need for more robust security measures within the industry. Microsoft’s upcoming summit aims to address these concerns and pave the way for a more secure computing environment.
