Jacob Roach / Digital Trends
Over the last few days , technical school news has been dominated by one thing : theCrowdStrike outage . On July 19 , businesses around the world were sham by a major computer failure , as money box , airport , infirmary and more saw their vital systems go offline , leaving customers strand without aid .
The solution case was rapidly pinpointed to a defective update to the CrowdStrike antivirus software . affect information processing system had been running this app and were ineffectual to boot after the update was installed , run to chaos around the world .
Jacob Roach / Digital Trends
But there was one curious wrinkle in this story : only Windows computers seemed to be affected , with CrowdStrike ’s CEOexplicitly saying that macOS and Linux arrangement were safe . Why was that the case , and what does it say about the resiliency — or vulnerability — of Windows versus other operating system ?
A faulty update
Since the trouble was because of a wrong antivirus update , you might be tempt to think that this is what harbour Macs from the side effect . After all , Windows has a much worsened report than macOS when it number to virus , with many the great unwashed believing that Apple ’s computers simplydon’t need antivirus apps , either because they ’re better protect against malware already or because hackers do n’t bother attacking Macs .
But that does n’t properly explain the CrowdStrike site . I spoke to Joshua Long , chief security analyst at Mac antivirus firmIntego , who notice that “ the incident was make by a wrong CrowdStrike content update , a form filing cabinet that CrowdStrike tug out to Windows terminus . This single file triggered a logic error in CrowdStrike ’s Windows software , which caused impact personal computer to break apart with a down in the mouth projection screen of death . ”
That suggests that the problem was n’t in reality constitutional to Windows , and its absence from macOS was not down to the superior security of that system . As Long told me , “ Macs are not resistant to software bug , include problems get by third - company termination protection software . It is entirely plausible that similar problem could come on Macs at some point in the futurity . ”
According to developer and generator Howard Oakley , however , this specific issuewould not happen in macOS . That ’s because Apple has configured its operating scheme to slim the likelihood of the type of kernel affright that do the CrowdStrike outage .
The Wall Street Journal hasmade a similar claim , noting that Microsoft told the outlet that “ it can not de jure palisade off its operate organization in the same way Apple does because of an agreement it make with the European Commission following a ailment . In 2009 , Microsoft agreed it would give makers of security software the same level of admission to Windows that Microsoft gets . ”
In other word , the level of access that software God Almighty get to Windows ’ meat function is far bully than what Apple permit — and there ’s nothing Microsoft can do about it . As Tony Law , cybersecurity expert and IT Infrastructure manager at surety firmCovertSwarmtold me : “ That is n’t to say that macOS is immune to such issues … just that there is a layer of abstract entity in place to boil down the likelihood and limit the encroachment . ”
While Macs could still be vulnerable to other problem get by poorly configure software updates , they might not be as annihilative as the CrowdStrike outage was for Windows .
Some problem will continue to affect both Windows and macOS , though . Long explained that “ the real issue here is that CrowdStrike evidently did not carefully formalise the defective update data file . As CrowdStrike has learned the hard elbow room , it is critically crucial for software companies to soundly screen updates before deploy them to customers . And that ’s true no matter of whether you develop Windows , Mac , or Linux package . ”
Switching to Mac?
There ’s another factor that fall into play here : the sheer preponderance of Windows PCs around the world . PCs still heavily outnumber Macs in diligence configurations , making the potential encroachment of a Windows - specific bug in CrowdStrike ’s update all the more lethal .
But the fact that go-ahead that utilize Macs come out of the incident unscathed does n’t mean they can lie easily . For one thing , as we allude to earlier , the CrowdStrike hemipterous insect could just as easily have affected macOS as it did Windows . While the orbicular impact would not be as big , it would still be potentially withering for the company involved .
For another affair , Long cautions against self-satisfaction , monish that the fact that Macs persist insensible “ does not indicate that Macs are more secure than Windows PCs . ” Macs can still doss down and flush it , whether that ’s at the workforce of hacker or a rogue software update .
Sydney Airport flight of stairs displays have all BSOD'd.#microsoft#crowdstrikepic.twitter.com / ZL9QwGdi1a
& mdash ; techAU ( @techAU)July 19 , 2024
There ’s another doubtfulness on my creative thinker : Might this effect cause some companionship to switch from Windows to macOS , considering how only Windows was affect ? That seems unlikely , due chiefly to the high cost such a move would entail , especially for larger firms .
That might not be the example in every case , though . As Long says : “ For some organizations that may not have a specific pauperization to use Windows endpoints , switch to Macs may for certain be something to consider . Although macOS is not inherently more secure than Windows , Macs sure have a number of advantages over Windows microcomputer , such as tight desegregation between the operating system and the hardware , high - quality computer hardware that holds its value longer than microcomputer , better built - in accessibility features , and more . ”
finally , the CrowdStrike outage was triggered by a badly crafted software update that could have devastated Macs as much as it did PCs , meaning its use as fodder in the eternalWindows versus macOSdebate may be misplaced . Mac users got lucky this time , but that does n’t mean that will always be the causa .
