CrowdStrike’s Falcon software uses a special driver that allows it to run at a lower level than most apps so it can detect threats across a Windows system. Microsoft tried to restrict third parties from accessing the kernel in Windows Vista in 2006 but was met with pushback from cybersecurity vendors and EU regulators. However, Apple was able to lock down its macOS operating system in 2020 so that developers could no longer get access to the kernel.
Now, it looks like Microsoft wants to reopen the conversations around restricting kernel-level access inside Windows.
As the “local IT guy”, please no. Please. I have better things to do than to babysit a windows installation every single time someone buys a new computer.
Plus, having to buy a windows licence on top of already expensive laptops will just drive us faster into the tablet driven hellscape I fear is coming.