CrowdStrike and Its CIA/NATO Connections <substack.com/app-link/post?publication_id=943736&post_id=146802498&utm_source=post-email-title&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=obl24&token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjo0MDg1MTI5MiwicG9zdF9pZCI6MT…>
The “Blue Screen of Death.” Did America just experience a Shot Across the Bow?
Reinette Senum <substack.com/@reinettesenumsfoghornexpress>
Jul 19
<substack.com/@reinettesenumsfoghornexpress>
<substack.com/app-link/post?publication_id=943736&post_id=146802498&utm_source=substack&isFreemail=true&submitLike=true&token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjo0MDg1MTI5MiwicG9zdF9pZCI6MTQ2ODAyNDk4LCJyZWFjdGlvbiI6IuKd…>
READ IN APP <open.substack.com/pub/reinettesenumsfoghornexpress/p/crowdstrike-and-its-cianato-connections?utm_source=email&redirect=app-store>
/I rarely post an article twice in one day, but after receiving a tip, I thought this was worth sharing to shed some light on the latest./
<substack.com/redirect/1bbb4bc2-68ab-43ad-8f2e-1e71d9e0cf03?j=eyJ1Ijoib2JsMjQifQ.daoddOv21e26xYFsW8W-jtjoNA8-phq1EkolSnB3We0>
Airports and more experience the “Blue Screen of Death”
As many of you already know, earlier today, supposedly a faulty software update issued by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike led to a massive global IT disruption, affecting computers running Microsoft’s Windows operating system and causing widespread outages across industries like airlines, banks, hospitals, and retailers. The buggy update caused Windows PCs to display the “Blue Screen of Death” error and get stuck in a boot loop, requiring manual resets. CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz <substack.com/redirect/269b87f4-32e9-4f95-aa53-b27042c7e5c9?j=eyJ1Ijoib2JsMjQifQ.daoddOv21e26xYFsW8W-jtjoNA8-phq1EkolSnB3We0>swears the issue was caused by a defect in a Falcon update for Windows hosts and was not a cyberattack.
However…. there may be more to the story than this.
This cybersecurity firm, CrowdStrike, has found itself at the center of geopolitical storms in the past, entangled in everything from the 2016 DNC hack to CIA/NATO connections. I couldn’t help but dig deeper into this. What I found was a company with deep ties to the U.S. intelligence community and a penchant for stirring up international controversy.
*CROWDSTRIKE HISTORY*
CrowdStrike first emerged in 2016 when the DNC enlisted its services to investigate a breach of its servers. The firm quickly pointed the finger at Russia-Russia-Russia, contradicting claims of a lone wolf hacker and setting the stage for allegations of Kremlin election interference.
In a 2019 phone call with Ukrainian President Zelensky, <substack.com/redirect/7ab70707-dbc9-4490-bf3d-c47d8a84ecd6?j=eyJ1Ijoib2JsMjQifQ.daoddOv21e26xYFsW8W-jtjoNA8-phq1EkolSnB3We0>then-President Trump suggested that Ukraine might possess the DNC server and questioned CrowdStrike’s conclusion that Russia was behind the hack. Trump claimed that CrowdStrike was involved in a cover-up or had biased motivations due to co-founder Dmitri Alperovitch’s Ukrainian heritage (he is a Russian-born U.S. citizen).
Curiously, CrowdStrike never provided the FBI with the DNC’s physical servers, instead relying on “images” of the systems.
*THE ATLANTIC COUNCIL & SWAMPY CONNECTIONS*
CrowdStrike’s co-founder, Dmitri Alperovitch <substack.com/redirect/c698c8e6-b8b8-4be9-afd4-32d48e1b33d8?j=eyJ1Ijoib2JsMjQifQ.daoddOv21e26xYFsW8W-jtjoNA8-phq1EkolSnB3We0>, happens to be a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, a “think tank” with strong NATO ties. The same Atlantic Council that’s been linked to a Ukrainian oligarch.
Coincidence?
Interesting timing, at the very least, considering the latest surrounding the failed Trump assassination.
CrowdStrike has also partnered with the U.S. intelligence community—from the Pentagon to Oracle to the CIA—participated in FBI cybersecurity forums and landed lucrative government contracts, all while shaping the narrative around Russian cyber threats.
*THE BIG PICTURE*
CrowdStrike, like so many cybersecurity firms, operates in the shadowy nexus of big tech, geopolitics, and the surveillance state. Their 2016 DNC investigation, rather than providing clarity, has only muddied the waters and fueled distrust.
As the recent CrowdStrike-linked global IT outage <substack.com/redirect/0b929849-b301-4179-a768-f352127b5aee?j=eyJ1Ijoib2JsMjQifQ.daoddOv21e26xYFsW8W-jtjoNA8-phq1EkolSnB3We0>demonstrates, we’ve handed over immense power to these cybersecurity giants. They hold the keys to our digital infrastructure while remaining shrouded in secrecy.
It’s high time we started asking tough questions about Silicon Valley’s cozy relationship with the intelligence community. Who benefits from firms like CrowdStrike stoking the flames of a new Cold War?
As always, follow the money. And stay tuned—something tells me we haven’t heard the last of CrowdStrike.
Share <substack.com/redirect/5d9f109b-6a81-4b6d-b657-1f215a172cae?j=eyJ1Ijoib2JsMjQifQ.daoddOv21e26xYFsW8W-jtjoNA8-phq1EkolSnB3We0>
Tip Jar! <substack.com/redirect/ccc2abf6-0ad9-480d-9971-f9338f9ccb8c?j=eyJ1Ijoib2JsMjQifQ.daoddOv21e26xYFsW8W-jtjoNA8-phq1EkolSnB3We0>
/If you find these interviews and articles informative, please become a paid subscriber for under 17¢ a day.//I don’t believe in paywalls, but this is how I make a living, so any support is appreciated. Either way…. it’s available to you…./
Reinette Senum’s Foghorn Express is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Upgrade to paid <substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9yZWluZXR0ZXNlbnVtc2ZvZ2hvcm5leHByZXNzLnN1YnN0YWNrLmNvbS9zdWJzY3JpYmU_dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1wb3N0JnV0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj1lbWFpbC1jaGVja291dCZuZXh0PWh0dHBzJTNBJTJGJTJGc…>
Invite your friends and earn rewards
If you enjoy Reinette Senum’s Foghorn Express, share it with your friends and earn rewards when they subscribe.
Invite Friends <substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9yZWluZXR0ZXNlbnVtc2ZvZ2hvcm5leHByZXNzLnN1YnN0YWNrLmNvbS9sZWFkZXJib2FyZD89JnJlZmVycmVyX3Rva2VuPW9ibDI0JnI9b2JsMjQmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPWVtYWlsLWxlYWRlcmJvYXJkI…>
Like <substack.com/app-link/post?publication_id=943736&post_id=146802498&utm_source=substack&isFreemail=true&submitLike=true&token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjo0MDg1MTI5MiwicG9zdF9pZCI6MTQ2ODAyNDk4LCJyZWFjdGlvbiI6IuKd…>
© 2024 Reinette Senum PO Box 1972, Nevada City, CA 95959
Get the app <substack.com/redirect/8e59f74c-2abf-4611-b356-67980cedf6b8?j=eyJ1Ijoib2JsMjQifQ.daoddOv21e26xYFsW8W-jtjoNA8-phq1EkolSnB3We0>Start writing <substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9zdWJzdGFjay5jb20vc2lnbnVwP3V0bV9zb3VyY2U9c3Vic3RhY2smdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fY29udGVudD1mb290ZXImdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPWF1dG9maWxsZWQtZm9vdGVyJmZyZWVTaWdud…?>
English
Arabic
Chinese (Simplified)
Dutch
French
German
Italian
Portuguese
Russian
Spanish