Security News > 2024 > July > EU gave CrowdStrike the keys to the Windows kernel, claims Microsoft

Did the EU force Microsoft to let third parties like CrowdStrike run riot in the Windows kernel as a result of a 2009 undertaking? This is the implication being peddled by the Redmond-based cloud and software titan.

As the tech industry deals with the fallout from the CrowdStrike incident, Microsoft is facing questions.

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, a Microsoft spokesperson pointed to a 2009 undertaking by the company with the European Commission as a reason why the Windows kernel was not as protected as that of the current Apple Mac operating system, for example.

Microsoft shall ensure on an ongoing basis and in a Timely Manner that the APIs in the Windows Client PC Operating System and the Windows Server Operating System that are called on by Microsoft Security Software Products are documented and available for use by third-party security software products that run on the Windows Client PC Operating System and/or the Windows Server Operating System.

The Register asked Microsoft if the position reported by the Wall Street Journal was still the company's stance on why a CrowdStrike update for Windows could cause the chaos it did.

Failures of third-party software running at a low level in Windows can be embarrassingly public, even if Microsoft is not directly to blame.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/07/22/windows_crowdstrike_kernel_eu/