Is Windows safe, and does the world rely too heavily on it?
Last week, a “global IT outage” saw millions of Windows computers abruptly crash into the infamous “blue screen of death”.
Around 1.4 billion PCs run a Windows operating system, of which Windows 10 commands roughly 70% or just short of a billion. That means less than 1% of Windows 10 machines were affected. Yet, these were primarily enterprise machines, leading to crashes at airports, hotels, banks, healthcare facilities, government agencies, and many more – creating a highly visible and publicised outage.
Additionally, CrowdStrike nixed the Windows update once it became aware of the issue. Had it not, the same faulty update could have reached Linux and MacOS systems. CrowdStrike runs software at the Linux and MacOS kernel level. Windows is not an outlier – however, there is some truth that Windows could use more kernel protection.
It's not Windows' fault that it's popular. The operating system is more user-friendly than the technical sandbagging common in Linux and more accessible than the elitist pricing of MacOS systems. Consumers give Windows an overwhelming market presence, making it most likely to become the visible front to such a mistake.
Crowdstrike Outage Windows Pcs Windows 10 Linux Falcon Software Updates
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