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CrowdStrike Isn't the Real Problem (lemmy.world)

submitted 4 months ago by timewarp@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world

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This is an unpopular opinion, and I get why – people crave a scapegoat. CrowdStrike undeniably pushed a faulty update demanding a low-level fix (booting into recovery). However, this incident lays bare the fragility of corporate IT, particularly for companies entrusted with vast amounts of sensitive personal information.

Robust disaster recovery plans, including automated processes to remotely reboot and remediate thousands of machines, aren't revolutionary. They're basic hygiene, especially when considering the potential consequences of a breach. Yet, this incident highlights a systemic failure across many organizations. While CrowdStrike erred, the real culprit is a culture of shortcuts and misplaced priorities within corporate IT.

Too often, companies throw millions at vendor contracts, lured by flashy promises and neglecting the due diligence necessary to ensure those solutions truly fit their needs. This is exacerbated by a corporate culture where CEOs, vice presidents, and managers are often more easily swayed by vendor kickbacks, gifts, and lavish trips than by investing in innovative ideas with measurable outcomes.

This misguided approach not only results in bloated IT budgets but also leaves companies vulnerable to precisely the kind of disruptions caused by the CrowdStrike incident. When decision-makers prioritize personal gain over the long-term health and security of their IT infrastructure, it's ultimately the customers and their data that suffer.

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[–] breakingcups@lemmy.world 172 points 4 months ago (76 children)

Please, enlighten me how you'd remotely service a few thousand Bitlocker-locked machines, that won't boot far enough to get an internet connection, with non-tech-savvy users behind them. Pray tell what common "basic hygiene" practices would've helped, especially with Crowdstrike reportedly ignoring and bypassing the rollout policies set by their customers.

Not saying the rest of your post is wrong, but this stood out as easily glossed over.

[–] ramble81@lemm.ee 36 points 4 months ago (4 children)

You’d have to have something even lower level like a OOB KVM on every workstation which would be stupid expensive for the ROI, or something at the UEFI layer that could potentially introduce more security holes.

[–] Leeks@lemmy.world 8 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Maybe they should offer a real time patcher for the security vulnerabilities in the OOB KVM, I know a great vulnerability database offered by a company that does this for a lot of systems world wide! /s

[–] A_A@lemmy.world 0 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Lol 😋 ! also i need a "Out-of-Band, Keyboard, Video, and Mouse" to your "OOB, KVM" so to ~~steal the bank~~ improve security.

[–] Leeks@lemmy.world 0 points 4 months ago

“It’s turtles all the way down”.

[–] circuscritic@lemmy.ca 5 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

.....you don't have OOBM on every single networked device and terminal? Have you never heard of the buddy system?

You should probably start writing up an RFP. I'd suggest you also consider doubling up on the company issued phones per user.

If they already have an ATT phone, get them a Verizon one as well, or vice versa.

At my company we're already way past that. We're actually starting to import workers to provide human OOBM.

You don't answer my call? I'll just text the migrant worker we chained to your leg to flick your ear until you pick up.

Maybe that sounds extreme, but guess who's company wasn't impacted by the Crowdstrike outage.

[–] ToyDork@preserve.games 1 points 4 months ago

I mean, with the exception of the shackles, this is just logistics 101. The more something needs to stay working or not accidentally trigger a huge problem, the more resources you dedicate to picking up where the regular guy left off because the "fleffingbridge transport 1" company's bus broke down in front of the regular guy and his bus got hit by a train. Solution? New bus, plant some trees. Prevention? Bridges and tunnels aren't cheap, but clearly we need one there now. We can't predict the future but we have to do our best to try or - simulated or real - the cost will be paid in blood. Obviously there's moral limits, but hiring more staff is not in and of itself immoral nor the wrong approach.

If I was in charge of a real life logistics operation, I'd be devastated if anyone died because of me. I can't say, however, that it can be avoided. Sometimes people die at random, that's not yet 100% avoidable and might never be, but I do care. I'd hope people who actually end up in logistics could learn to indulge their empathy enough to remember there are lives on the line, but I can't blame someone for being bitter that the actual work output is purely being fleeced for profit.

[–] Brkdncr@lemmy.world 1 points 4 months ago

Vpro is usually $20 per machine and offers oob kvm.

[–] timewarp@lemmy.world -5 points 4 months ago (1 children)

UEFI isn't going away. Sorry to break the news to you.

[–] ramble81@lemm.ee 9 points 4 months ago

I didn’t say it was, nor did I say UEFI was the problem. My point was additional applications or extensions at the UEFI layer increase the attack footprint of a system. Just like vPro, you’re giving hackers a method that can compromise a system below the OS. And add that in to laptops and computers that get plugged in random places before VPNs and other security software is loaded and you have a nice recipe for hidden spyware and such.

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