CrowdStrike, Microsoft, Windows, app issues, and crashing, are making headlines again

CrowdStrike, Microsoft, and Windows are making headlines again, but this time, the issue is nowhere near as severe as the last CrowdStrike Falcon sensor issue, which caused millions of PCs to BSOD (blue screen of death) earlier this year. Theo ne that impacted airlines, travel, banks, and other infrastructure around the globe.

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This time, an issue with Windows 11 24H2 is causing apps like Microsoft Office to hang or crash. Windows 11 24H2 is one of the most significant updates to the operating system to date, with Microsoft calling it a full OS swap, so teething issues are expected. And, yes, one of the teething issues involves the CrowdStrike Falcon sensor.

It all comes down to policy settings, such as the Enhanced Exploitation Visibility Prevention Policy. This doesn't affect home users as CrowdStrike Falcon is a business-facing cybersecurity solution. CrowdStrike has already provided a statement confirming that the issue is Windows-related and unrelated to its software or any recent update.

"This is not a CrowdStrike issue. An issue in Windows 11 24H2 is causing some specific applications to hang. CrowdStrike identified and reported the issue with Windows 11 24H2 to Microsoft and are waiting for them on a resolution."

Also, the issue has been mitigated with CrowdStrike temporarily disabling the Enhanced Exploitation Visibility Prevention Policy setting on hosts running Windows 11 24H2. Before the solution was implemented, organizations running CrowdStrike Falcon reported apps like Word and Excel crashing after updating to the latest version of Windows.

Updating Windows when a major update, or 'Service Pack' as they used to be called, is always risky, especially for businesses. Windows 11 24H2's roll-out hasn't been bug-free, from breaking the Wi-Fi for some users and causing File Explorer to do strange things for others.