A major incident left 8.5 million Windows 10 and 11 computers out of service, sending shockwaves around the world. But that's just the beginning of the story.
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A controversial agreement with the European Commission
In 2009, Microsoft signed a deal with the European Commission to avoid monopoly lawsuits. The deal involved giving cybersecurity companies access to Windows APIs.
That access allowed CrowdStrike, among others, to develop software like Falcon, which was designed to prevent cyberattacks but ultimately caused major problems. The deal limited Microsoft's ability to protect its own systems.
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A faulty patch and its repercussions
CrowdStrike's flawed patch caused a blue screen of death on millions of computers. Microsoft says security changes could have prevented the bug, but those changes were blocked by the settlement.
The consequences were serious: airports, health services and businesses were paralyzed. Windows 95 users, on the other hand, were spared from this outage.
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Comparison with Apple
Microsoft is also criticizing its competitor Apple, which blocked access to the kernel of its Macs in 2020, thus improving their security. On the other hand, Microsoft finds itself constrained by the demands of the European Commission.
The current situation clearly shows that the measures imposed by the Commission are having unforeseen negative impacts. This comparison highlights the differences in treatment between the two tech giants.
| 💻 Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| 🤖 2009 Agreement | Provides access to Windows APIs for cybersecurity companies |
| 🛡️ Defective patch | Causes of Blue Screens of Death |
| 🏥 Consequences | Impact on airports, health services and businesses |
| 🍏 Comparison with Apple | Apple blocks kernel access, improving security |
To summarize, here are the key points to remember:
- Microsoft was forced to give access to the Windows kernel because of a 2009 agreement.
- A faulty CrowdStrike patch caused a global outage.
- Apple has taken security measures that Microsoft cannot keep up with.
The question now is: how can the cybersecurity industry evolve to avoid such disasters in the future?
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