CrowdStrike, a global leader in endpoint security, incident response and cybersecurity, recently deployed an update to its Falcon sensor for Microsoft Windows systems. This update, designed to enhance the detection of novel threats, inadvertently caused significant malfunctions in the Windows operating system, leading to widespread crashes and system instability.
Notably, Mac and Linux operating systems were unaffected by this issue.
Keatron Evans
VP for Portfolio and Product Strategy, Instructor & Author at Infosec.
What happened?
Despite concerns, it’s important to clarify that this incident was not the result of a hack, security breach, or malicious attack. Here are three key factors that led to the CrowdStrike chaos:
Faulty internal update: The problem stemmed from an internal update error rather than external tampering.
Elevated privileges: As security software, CrowdStrike Falcon has high privileges and integrates with the Microsoft Windows kernel.
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Global impact: The impact was particularly severe because CrowdStrike’s software is deeply integrated into critical infrastructure across large corporations and government agencies.
This integration, while essential for detecting and neutralizing high-level threats, also meant that when the faulty update was rolled out, it led to immediate and widespread disruptions.
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The impact
CrowdStrike is widely used among enterprises and state, local and federal government agencies, so the scale of the disruption was enormous. Delta Airlines, for instance, has engaged high-profile attorney David Boise as they face potential losses exceeding $300 million due to the incident. While many other organizations of similar size recovered within hours, Delta experienced prolonged operational disruptions lasting several days, sparking industry debate over whether the fault lay with CrowdStrike’s update or Delta’s recovery plan and preparedness.
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This incident triggered what may be the largest technology outage on record to date, caused by a misconfiguration or bug, with estimated damages reaching into the billions — and that figure continues to climb. The fallout was massive, thousands of flights delayed or cancelled, halting reservation systems worldwide, and causing a cascade of global disruptions. At least 8.5 million computers were affected, leading to unprecedented operational chaos
It is indeed ironic that CrowdStrike, a company renowned for its expertise in incident response, found itself at the center of such a significant episode. This event underscores the complexities and challenges even the most well-regarded firms can face, as well as the recovery plans and response preparedness.
CrowdStrike’s response
In the face of this unprecedented incident, CrowdStrike responded with prompt and decisive action. The company swiftly deployed a fix to address the issue and subsequently released a statement outlining a series of commitments aimed at preventing a recurrence. While the list of actions was thorough and comprehensive, much of it aligned with existing industry-standard practices. However, CrowdStrike notably pledged to revise its update deployment processes, a critical change expected to enhance the reliability and safety of future updates.
Observations and lessons learned
The CrowdStrike outage serves as a reminder for all size organizations to review their processes and ensure steps are in place to help mitigate the impact of future incidents. Not only having a plan, but have it tested for functionality.
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Among steps for action that organizations need to have set are:
1. Ensure Robust Backup and Disaster Recovery Plans: Seems simple, but it’s crucial to have well-defined backup, business continuity, and disaster recovery plans in place. Equally important is the regular testing of these plans through actual walkthroughs to ensure they function effectively when needed.
2. Be Cautious with Privileged Software: Any software with privileged access to your systems can potentially cause significant disruptions. While this incident was not a security breach, it serves as a stark reminder that even security tools can introduce vulnerabilities. Security tools, like any other software, can be a source of breaches or downtime, as demonstrated by this incident with CrowdStrike.
3. Maintain Heightened Vigilance During Outages: Large-scale outages create an attractive opportunity for attackers. Amid the noise and disruption, malicious actors can easily slip in undetected and steal data. It is essential to maintain heightened security awareness during such events to prevent opportunistic exploitation.
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4. Avoid Knee-Jerk Reactions: While the instinct may be to switch vendors after an incident like this, it’s important to proceed with caution. Quick, unplanned changes can lead to even bigger problems. Any transition to a new vendor should be approached as a phased project, not an overnight swap. This is especially critical for organizations handling sensitive data, such as those involved in national security.
In conclusion, the CrowdStrike incident highlights the importance of robust systems, cautious planning, and the readiness to respond to even the most unexpected challenges.
This has become a reminder that in the realm of cybersecurity, even the leaders in the field are not immune to significant disruptions, nor are they immune from causing them – but being ready for when these may happen may be the difference between swift resolution and loss of business.
This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro’s Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro
“With a compact design, excellent hardware, lovely cameras, and more, the Google Pixel 9 Pro is one of 2024’s best smartphones.”
Pros
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Beautiful hardware and display
Compact size without compromises
It’s pink!
Long battery life
Great cameras
Mostly good AI tools
Seven years of updates
Cons
Slow charging speeds
128GB base storage
The Google Pixel 9 series is here, and for the first time, those who want a smaller Pro phone can finally have it without needing to compromise on features. Google has given me the Pro phone that I’ve been hoping for.
The Google Pixel 9 Pro is the middle child of the Pixel 9 line. It’s physically the same size as the base model Pixel 9, but it has the same features as the larger Pixel 9 Pro XL. It’s the Goldilocks of the Pixel 9 slabs.
If you want a flagship Android phone that is not monstrously large, packs in plenty of power, has a gorgeous design, and even comes in pink, then the Pixel 9 Pro is one of the best choices you can make.
The Pixel 9 Pro’s design is one of my favorite things about the phone. While the Pixel line has always had a unique look that sets it apart from the competition, the new aesthetic for the Pixel 9 lineup as a whole really stands out. In a way, it feels so much more modern and sleek than before.
This year, Google flattened the frame across the entire Pixel 9 family, similar to what Apple has done for several years with the iPhone. When you combine this with the rounded corners, the Pixel 9 Pro is very comfortable to hold, even for extended periods of time.
Another big change is the new camera bar. Rather than extending out to the phone’s edges, it is now an elongated capsule shape that’s more like a camera island. Honestly, I like this new design better than the old one. It’s still distinctive, like the camera bar, but it looks much cleaner.
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The Pixel 9 Pro’s design is one of my favorite things about the phone.
The back of the Pixel 9 Pro is a matte finish glass, and the aluminum frame has a glossy polish, making it look very premium. The buttons are tactile and have a nice click when pressed, the speakers sound great, and the new ultrasonic fingerprint sensor is very reliable. The Pixel 9 Pro also has an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance and uses Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, so it’s extremely durable. Also, props to Google for keeping a physical SIM card tray at the bottom.
Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends
I’ve seen people say that the Pixel 9 redesign feels very iPhone-like, and that’s fair criticism. But maybe that’s also why I like it so much. The Pixel 9 Pro is just well-made hardware with a premium look and feel. It’s really beautiful this year.
The Pixel 9 Pro has a 6.3-inch display, just like the base model Pixel 9, but it is a Super Actua LTPO OLED panel with 1280 by 2856 resolution at 495 pixels per inch (ppi) and a variable refresh rate from 1Hz to 120Hz. It also gets 2,000 nits of brightness for HDR content and peaks at 3,000 nits, making this display very usable outdoors. Further, the screen features a uniformly thin bezel all around.
By default, the Pixel 9 Pro is set to the “high resolution” option, which is a slightly lower 960 by 2142 resolution to save battery power. Changing it to “full resolution” was one of the first things I did when I set up my Pixel 9 Pro — it’s worth the slight battery drain, in my eyes.
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The Pixel 9 Pro’s Super Actua display is just beautiful.
The Pixel 9 Pro’s Super Actua display is just beautiful, and everything looks great. The colors are bright and vibrant without being overpowering. Whites are truly white, and blacks are deep and inky. Text is sharp and crisp, and scrolling is incredibly fluid with the “Smooth display” setting on.
Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends
Regarding performance, the Pixel 9 Pro packs quite a punch with the Tensor G4 chip and 16GB RAM, a first for the Pixel line.
Though Google’s Tensor chips had a rough start, it began to shape up with G3, and the G4 has been doing quite well so far in my testing. I have not experienced any overheating issues with the Pixel 9 Pro, which was a problem with previous models, and all of my apps and games run smoothly without any issues. Opening apps, switching between them, taking many photos, playing games, and everything else is done seamlessly without fault.
Pixels are known for having reliable cameras, and thankfully, that doesn’t change with the Pixel 9 Pro. Even though this is the smaller version of the Pro this year, Google did not skimp out on the camera hardware, unlike Apple with the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
The Pixel 9 Pro is equipped with a triple-lens camera system on the rear that features a 50-megapixel main camera, 48MP ultrawide camera, and 48MP telephoto camera. On the front, we have a 42MP selfie camera. The rear cameras are the same as the Pixel 8 Pro, but the selfie camera significantly improved from its 10.5MP predecessor.
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No matter what I’m taking a photo of, the Pixel 9 Pro makes getting a great picture effortless.
I’ve been thoroughly enjoying using the cameras on the Pixel 9 Pro because no matter what I’m taking a photo of, the Pixel 9 Pro makes getting a great picture effortless. I primarily use the primary camera for my shots, and it produces punchy yet balanced colors and packs plenty of detail into each shot without overdoing it. Even lowlight images come out fantastic.
Of course, let’s not dismiss the secondary cameras on the Pixel 9 Pro. The 48MP ultrawide camera is a big jump from its predecessor (a 12MP lens), and the 123-degree field of view (FOV) lets you get more of a scene into the frame. The jump in resolution also means better colors and detail than before. The ultrawide lens is also used for macro shots, with good results.
The 48MP telephoto lens is also great. It’s capable of 5x optical zoom, though you can go as far as 30x with Super Res Zoom. I have had pretty good results with the telephoto camera, though I did notice that some images seem to have a bit of noise and grain if there is a black or dark surface. I’m not sure if that’s because I went further than 5x, but it’s just something to keep in mind.
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And for the front-facing camera, selfie lovers rejoice! You’ll get accurate skin tones, plenty of detail, and good color in your selfies. Having autofocus is a nice improvement this year, and the Pro models have a wider 103-degree FOV than the 95 degrees of the base model Pixel 9.
I’ve really been enjoying taking photos with my Pixel 9 Pro. I have yet to take a bad picture and have been reaching for my Pixel 9 Pro over my iPhone 15 Pro for the cameras (and more). Google knocked it out of the park this year.
The most peculiar thing about the Pixel 9 line this year is that it ships with Android 14, not Android 15, as we had originally anticipated. This is the first time a Pixel has launched without the newest version of Android. Despite that, the Pixel 9 Pro still has a handful of new software and AI tricks.
First, the Pixel 9 series has its own dedicated weather app, Pixel Weather. It has a beautiful design with dynamic backgrounds, and it places the most important data front and center. Pixel Weather also uses AI to generate a simple one-sentence weather report, though you can expand it to include additional data points.
Pixel WeatherChristine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends
Underneath the weather report is the hourly and 10-day forecast, followed by small tiles of various weather metrics. These tiles can be rearranged with a drag-and-drop gesture to prioritize what you want to see first when scrolling.
Another new app is Pixel Screenshots. Many of us take screenshots of something we see on our phones to remember later. But when you take a lot of them, it can be hard to find a specific one, and they add clutter to your camera roll. The Screenshots app changes all of that.
With Pixel Screenshots, any new screenshots you capture are saved here instead of Google Photos. You can organize screenshots into groups and collections and even search through them using Gemini, all done on-device.
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Pixel ScreenshotsJoe Maring / Digital Trends
Google is also putting Gemini front and center, as it replaces the legacy Google Assistant, though you can switch it back if you want to. With the Pixel 9 Pro devices (including the XL and Fold), you can also get a year of Gemini Advanced for free, while regular Pixel 9 users can get a one-month trial of Gemini Advanced.
Once you sign up for Gemini Advanced, you can access Gemini Live. This is Google’s conversational experience with Gemini that allows you to have a free-flowing conversation with Gemini as if it’s an actual person. It can understand natural language, and you can even interrupt it to provide more context or change the subject. If you want to refer back to it later, your conversations are saved as a transcript.
I’ve tried Gemini Live, and while it’s pretty cool how well it can understand a flowing conversation, I don’t think I’ll be using it that frequently. It is helpful for small things like setting reminders and alarms, but restrictions like no access to contacts, shopping lists, or smart home devices make it a bit limiting.
Then, there’s the Pixel Studio app. This is the image generation app where you can enter a prompt, and it will create an image for you. It’s a fine idea, though it’s also had a troubling start by generating a lot of inappropriate and questionable photos. I’m not a big fan of image generation in general, though I will say that the Pixel Studio app itself is simple and easy to use. I could live without it, but if this is your sort of thing, it’s here.
Gemini appChristine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends
Google has added more AI photo tools to the Pixel 9 lineup, including Add Me and Reimagine with Magic Editor. The Add Me tool lets you take two group photos, one of which has the original photographer, and merge them together so that everyone is in the shot.
The Reimagine tool in Magic Editor is a little more concerning. This tool lets you tweak sections of a photo with nonhuman objects and change it to something else by typing in a text prompt. While you can use it to change backgrounds to something fun and cute, it can also be used in nefarious ways since these images don’t have an AI watermark. In a world already full of misinformation, is this really a tool that Google should have given everyone with a Pixel 9? I’m not sure.
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Aside from that, the software on the Pixel 9 Pro is pretty much the same stock Android that we’ve come to know and love on Pixel devices. The Pixel 9 lineup is slated to get seven years of Android upgrades, security patches, and feature drops.
Unfortunately, Android 15 will count as one of those major Android upgrades, which is unfortunate. But will you still be using the Pixel 9 Pro in 2030?
Inside the Pixel 9 Pro is a 4,700mAh capacity battery cell. While previous Pixel phones weren’t too impressive in terms of battery life, I’m happy to report that the Pixel 9 Pro breaks that streak.
Of course, the larger Pixel 9 Pro XL has superior battery life due to the larger 5,060mAh battery, but the Pixel 9 Pro (and even the Pixel 9) is not shabby at all. I’ve been using the Pixel 9 Pro for the past week, and I typically end the day with around 40% left — less if I push it during the day. I’ve been averaging around three to four hours of screen time.
I think Google’s claim of around 24 hours of battery life this year is accurate. You can even bump that up to about 100 hours if you enable Extreme Battery Saver. If I’m pretty light on the usage, I can easily go around another half-day before plugging it in.
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Like most companies, Google does not include a power adapter in the box, but you do get a USB-C cable. While the Pixel 9 Pro XL gets the fastest charging speed of 37W, the Pixel 9 Pro only gets 27W. This equates to about 55% charge in 30 minutes and a little over an hour for a full charge.
For wireless charging, you can get up to 21W speeds with the second-generation Google Pixel Stand or 12W with standard Qi-certified wireless chargers. There is also reverse wireless charging. Unfortunately, Google chose not to add Qi2 support this year.
Google announced the entire Pixel 9 lineup on August 13. As of September 4, the Pixel 9 Pro is available for purchase.
The Pixel 9 Pro comes in four colors: Rose Quartz, Hazel, Obsidian, and Porcelain. It costs $999 for 128GB, $1,099 for 256GB, $1,219 for 512GB, and $1,449 for 1TB. You can purchase the Pixel 9 Pro from the Google Store, Amazon, Best Buy, and most carriers in the U.S.
Since I started using Android, I’ve been partial to Pixel phones, but Google hit a home run with the Pixel 9 Pro. This is the best way to experience Android, and the hardware is simply fantastic.
The best part of the Pixel 9 Pro is its size. I’m a fan of smaller phones, and I love that Google is finally giving us a choice if we want the Pro model without compromises. I’ve been reaching for the Pixel 9 Pro over my iPhone 15 Pro and even prefer it to the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra simply due to how compact it is. Combine that with the excellent construction, fun new camera design, and the pink color, and I’m a happy camper.
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I’ve been reaching for the Pixel 9 Pro over my iPhone 15 Pro.
While I’m not a massive fan of all the AI additions, I must admit that some are useful — like the Pixel Weather and Pixel Screenshots apps. Add Me is a fun little gimmick, but I’m not sure if I’ll use it all the time for group photos. I wish that Google put more thought into the ramifications of specific tools like Reimagine. I also hope Pixel Studio gets better about the wild images it can generate.
Whether you like those features or not, the good news is that you can use the ones you like and ignore the ones you don’t. Either way, you still get top-notch hardware, excellent cameras, great battery life, and reliable performance. What’s not to like?
If you’ve been waiting for a powerful flagship phone that isn’t a pain to hold and use, the Pixel 9 Pro is absolutely the phone for you. It’s the best compact flagship available today and one of the best phones available in 2024. Don’t miss out on this one.
Amazon has a pretty good deal on the Alienware Pro gaming keyboard right now that knocks a significant amount off of its regular price. The usual going rate for this keyboard is $199.99, which is also its full retail price, although it has been as low as $180 before. However, Amazon currently has it for $139.99 which is 30% off of full retail, and that’s a pretty good value for this keyboard considering all of its awesome gaming features.
For starters, it has hot-swappable switches. If you’ve never had a keyboard with hot-swappable switches before, you’re missing out. The reason they’re so good is because you can swap the switches for a type you prefer. Say you want something a little more tactile for your WASD keys. You can pop the keycaps off, swap out the default switches that come with the keyboard, and put the keycaps back. I personally love the hot-swappable switches because you have the ability to replace a switch if anything ever goes wrong with it.
You don’t just have to replace the entire keyboard or get it repaired. Or try to deal with repairing it yourself and messing with solder or anything like that. You just pop out the switch and put in the new one. Best of all, this keyboard comes with the tool to pop the switches off so the whole process is really rather easy.
The Alienware Pro is fairly compact too, as it has a 75% layout. This makes it great for travel and portability. It also connects in three different ways including wired, Bluetooth, and a 2.4GHz low-latency mode through the adapter. Plus, it has a battery life of up to 72 hours on a single charge, which is pretty darn good.
The northern lights could dazzle millions of Americans in some northern states this weekend. An eruption of solar material from the sun earlier this week could lead to a show of the aurora borealis if the weather conditions are right, officials said.
The eruption, called a coronal mass ejection, prompted the federal government’s Space Weather Prediction Center in Colorado to issue a geomagnetic storm watch for Friday, Saturday and Sunday to alert people about potential disruptions to navigation, power and radio systems.
What time will the northern lights be visible tonight?
The northern lights can be seen just after sunset and just before sunrise, but it’s best to go out at night and away from city lights, according to the center.
The center recommends viewing the northern lights between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time. According to the center, the best times of the year to see the aurora borealis are around the spring and fall equinoxes. The fall equinox was on Sept. 22.
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Where can you see the northern lights tonight?
The northern lights could be seen as far south as Iowa, Oregon and Pennsylvania, according to the center.
If the conditions are right and the northern lights are bright, they can be seen from as far as 620 miles away, according to the center.
Northern lights map for tonight
The center released a map showing the northern lights forecast for Friday night. The map illustrates the predicted intensity of the aurora borealis over North America with a line showing how far south the lights could be seen on the northern horizon.
A map from the Space Weather Prediction Center shows the aurora forecast for the U.S. on Oct. 4, 2024.
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Space Weather Prediction Center
Northern lights map for tomorrow night
The center also released a map for Saturday night.
A map from the Space Weather Prediction Center shows the aurora forecast for the U.S. on Oct. 5, 2024.
Space Weather Prediction Center
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Parts of the country were treated to the northern lights last spring when a powerful geomagnetic storm reached Earth. While the storm expected this weekend is considered to be strong, it’s not supposed to be as powerful as the one in May.
The northern lights fill the sky with green over the barn and pastures at Greaney’s Turkey Farm in Mercer, Maine, on May 11, 2024.
Alex Sundby is a senior editor at CBSNews.com. In addition to editing content, Alex also covers breaking news, writing about crime and severe weather as well as everything from multistate lottery jackpots to the July Fourth hot dog eating contest.
Me: “I have a question about controlling another computer over the internet” You: “SSH” Me: “Don’t tell me to ‘shhh’, I’m asking you a question”. Ok, enough with the play on words. If you’ve ever wanted to securely control another computer over the internet, then you’ve probably heard of SSH. If you haven’t, then I made this video just for you! Consider this a jumping off point for future videos about SSH!
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📲🔗🔗📲 IMPORTANT LINKS 📲🔗🔗📲
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October Prime Day will be here in a few days, but you can already save on some tech, including a few of Amazon’s own devices. Its most powerful streaming stick, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max, has dropped to a record low of $35. That represents a 42-percent discount, and it’s a return to the same sale price we saw during July Prime Day. Notably, it’s just one of many Fire TV devices that have been discounted ahead of the sale event.
But the Fire TV Stick 4K Max is a great streaming device as well, with support for Dolby Vision and HDR10+. As the name suggests, it can stream content in 4K Ultra HD. The stick also supports Dolby Atmos audio, for added immersion.
Amazon
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This streaming stick includes the company’s proprietary Fire TV Ambient Experience, which allows users to display art and photos on the screen. This mimics the functionality of something like Samsung’s The Frame TV. The Fire TV Stick 4K Max also boasts 16GB of storage, for downloads, apps and games.
Speaking of games, this thing doubles as a highly functional cloud gaming box. It can stream Xbox games via Game Pass Ultimate and integrates with Amazon Luna. We singled out this device as a great option for retro gamers, as it can easily run many emulation apps. Finally, it ships with an upgraded remote that offers Alexa integration.
While the Fire TV Stick 4K Max is arguably Amazon’s best streaming dongle for most people that’s on sale right now, the rest of the Fire TV device lineup is on sale, too.
Fire TV Stick Lite streamer for $18 ($12 off): This is already the most affordable Fire TV streaming stick, but it’s a steal at this sale price. It supports 1080p content and comes with a “lite” version of the Alexa Voice Remote.
Fire TV Stick streamer for $20 ($20 off): This dongle ups the ante on the TV Stick Lite by adding support for Dolby Atmos audio, plus it comes with the regular version of the Alexa Voice Remote. It also supports Wi-Fi 5 and comes with 8GB of internal storage.
Fire TV Stick 4K streamer for $25 ($25 off): This mode is the cheapest Fire TV Stick you can get to stream 4K content, plus it has support for Wi-Fi 6 and Dolby Vision and Atmos. With its live picture-in-picture feature, you can view security camera feeds right on your TV while you’re watching your favorite show or movie.
Fire TV Cube set-top box for $100 ($40 off): This model will provide the best performance of any Fire TV streaming device, and it supports 4K HDR content, Dolby Vision and Atmos and an enhanced version of the Alexa Voice Remote. Along with live picture-in-picture view and the Fire TV ambient experience, you can also hardware other devices to the Fire TV Cube including a cable box or a game console.
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