Microsoft blames global Crowdstrike meltdown on a deal made in 2009

Microsoft has connected a deal struck in 2009 with the recent CrowdStrike meltdown that knocked 8.5 million Windows machines offline.

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For those that don't know, CrowdStrike rolled out an update to its cybersecurity software that contained files that resulted in kernel-level failures on Windows machines. A kernel-level failure crashes the boot-up of the machine, causing a blue screen of death. Since CrowdStrike's software is marked as a "boot-start driver" machines were thrown into a blue screen of death boot loop.

CrowdStrike is definitely responsible for pushing out a faulty driver update to its customers, but Microsoft is also responsible for giving CrowdStrike, and seemingly third-party security vendors, access to kernel mode in Windows customers' machines. Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, a Microsoft spokesperson placed the blame of the access at the feet of a deal struck in 2009 between the Redmond company and the European Union.

The deal echoes similar problems Apple has experienced with the European Union regulators, which recently forced Apple to adopt USB-C charging ports after the European regulators ruled lighting connectors were anti-compete. The 2009 deal was for Microsoft to grant third-party vendors the same level of access as it does to a machine, which in this sense would be kernel-level access.

This deal was pushed through under anti-compete arguments, which are typically good, but, unfortunately, opened the door to software flaws, potential security flaws, and critical errors.