What Exactly Happened with the Crowdstrike Outage?
In the world of software development, even a tiny mistake can lead to catastrophic results. This is precisely what happened with #CrowdStrike, where a developer made a seemingly small error while writing code in C++.
Null Pointer Creation: The Ghost in the Machine
The culprit? A pointer variable (Obj* obj). This variable was supposed to point to a specific object in memory, containing crucial data. But due to the error, this pointer remained NULL, effectively pointing to nothing.
Missing Null Check: The Fatal Oversight
In good programming practice, developers should always check if a pointer is null before using it. Something like:
if (obj == NULL) {
// handle the null case
}
However, in this case, that check was missing. The code tried to use this null pointer to access information, assuming it was valid.
Attempting to Access "Nothing": A Recipe for Disaster
Imagine trying to read a book that doesn't exist. The program attempted to access member variables of the non-existent object (obj->a or obj->b), leading it to an invalid memory address based on the null pointer value (e.g., 0x0 + 4). The stack dump snapshot showed it trying to access 0x9c, which is clearly invalid. It was as if the program said, "NULL + 0x9C = 0x9C," trying to reach into a forbidden zone of memory.
Memory Access Violation: The System's Self-Defense Mechanism
When the program tried to access this invalid memory, Windows stepped in to protect itself. Recognizing this as a potential security threat, Windows crashed the program entirely. The result? The dreaded Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) and the subsequent outage.
In essence, the code tried to pull data from a non-existent memory location, and the system, acting in self-defense, crashed to prevent further damage.
Credit Where It's Due
A big shoutout to Zach Vorhies for his thorough analysis and breakdown of the situation.
#CrowdStrike #Outage #CodingError #NullPointer #MemoryAccessViolation #BSOD #Programming #SoftwareDevelopment #Debugging #Windows #TechNews