[German]On July 19, 2024, a faulty update of the CrowdStrike Falcon EDR software – specifically a file for a driver – caused millions of Windows computers worldwide to fail with a blue screen, while macOS and Linux systems were not affected. During the night I saw the first clues about the internals on X and readers also pointed out the facts in comments. I'll summarize the results of various analyses in the following article.
[German]FileFactory is a file hosting service that allows users to upload and share files. The provider advertises unlimited uploads and unlimited downloads. There are probably free offers and also subscriptions. But the filefactory.com site has been down since July 22, 2024 at around 13:00. Initially, the login no longer worked, but now the site shows a database error. Following a tip from a reader, I pulled together some details.
[German]On July 19, 2024, there were numerous outages to Windows IT systems worldwide. Operations at airports came to a standstill, banks could no longer work, trains were canceled and companies sent their employees home (e.g. Tegut) because the IT systems were no longer working. However, it was not a cyber attack, but the simultaneous occurrence of two errors – independent of each other, which led to the failure of functions. On the one hand, there was a failure of the Microsoft cloud, relating to Microsoft 365 and the relevant services. And there was a faulty update for a security solution from the US provider CrowdStrike, which caused Windows systems to crash with a blue screen. Here is a brief follow-up.
[German]Today I'd like to add a follow-up article on the failure of the 2.4 GHz WLAN on the FRITZ!Box 7590. A reader pointed out to me that this happens after about five years. According to research, a component (voltage converter) seems to burn out. AVM replaces the FRITZ!Box during the 5-year warranty period. Anyone who has fallen out of this warranty can dispose of the FRITZ!Box 7590 or have it repaired. In this context, I have compiled some more information to answer questions such as "Which boxes are affected?", "What are the risks?" and also to provide some information on repair.
[German]Microsoft announced on July 17, 2024 that Windows 11 version 23H2 is now available for all compatible devices. All restrictions in this regard were lifted on this date. Anyone with a compatible device can check for updates – and if there are no blocks (due to hardware and software incompatibilities), the client will be updated. In some cases, systems are also updated automatically. Microsoft has also announced new cumulative "checkpoint" updates for Windows 11 24H2 in the future.
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[German]Initially, a German blog reader contacted me and reported that his FRITZ!Box 7590 router from the manufacturer AVM suddenly had a defective 2.4 GHz WLAN. After doing some research, it turned out that many owners are confronted with similar behavior. The FRITZ!Box 7590 introduced in 2017 suffers from a dying 2.4 GHz WLAN. AVM will replace the FRITZ!Box within the 5-year warranty period. Here are a few details. Continue reading
[German]A couple of hours ago, we are facing two significant outages in Microsoft IT infra structure. Microsoft 365 have had an outage due to an Azure configuration change. And a faulty update from Cybersecurity vendor CrowdStrike force Windows hosts into bluescreens (BSDO). Enterprises using CrowsStrike Falcon are currently doomed – although there is already a workaround. Worldwide man air lines, airports, hospitals, etc. was out of order. I'll try to sort out the topic a bit.
[German]Over the last few hours, half the world's IT has probably been disrupted (at least it feels that way). It seems to me that there were two isolated incidents. Firstly, a faulty CrowdStrike update has forced Windows systems around the world into BlueScreens. Airports, rail traffic etc. are down because of this outage. At the same time, the (Microsoft) IT infrastructure was once again in disarray. A configuration change at Azure has brought Microsoft 365 and the relevant services to their knees. I'll now pull out the part that concerns Microsoft separately.
[German]Microsoft has released a fix for a bug that prevents the Photos app from launching on Windows 11 22H2 and 23H2. The problem can occur in certain scenarios under which the app was installed. The bug was only confirmed at the end of June 2024 and could previously only be circumvented with a workaround. Since July 17, there has been a fix in the form of an app update.
[German]A small addendum to the July 2024 patchday at Microsoft. With the security updates, Microsoft has also closed an MSHTML spoofing vulnerability. There was information that this vulnerability (CVE-2024-38112) was and is being exploited by malware. The vulnerability is in Internet Explorer components and there is currently controversy because ZDI classifies the vulnerability as more critical than Microsoft has done.
MVP:
2013 – 2016
WIMVP:
2017 – 2020
