Installing CrowdStrike Falcon

NOTE: These instructions are ONLY for computers within BCS and those within CVS not centrally managed by ISD or University IT (ie: managed by Chris Freemesser). All centrally managed computers will have CrowdStrike installed automatically

Windows 10 & 11

1. Open a web browser and download the CrowdStrike for Windows installer from here (this link only works from a non-guest UR network):

https://www.cvs.rochester.edu/cvspriv/downloads/CrowdStrike/Crowdstrike_Win.exe

2. Run the installer...it's self-explanatory and will both remove Cylance and install CrowdStrike. When it completes it may ask to reboot your computer...please do so. If the installer doesn't complete successfully, run it a second time...this usually results in a successful install. If it doesn't, reboot your computer and try again.

3. There is no user interface for CrowdStrike...the only way to know it's working is to open the Windows Security Center (the white shield icon the bottom right corner of your desktop) and look under the "Virus and Threat Protection" section. If CrowdStrike is running, it'll say so here. If you don't see mention of it, reboot your computer a second time...it should show up after that.

MacOS

There are two versions of CrowdStrike...one for newer versions of MacOS (Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura, Sonoma), and one for the older versions that you shouldn't be running anymore (Catalina, Mojave, etc.) Different versions of MacOS have different security safeguards in place and as such these instructions might not be 100% accurate. I tried.

NOTE: If you are not running MacOS Monterey, Ventura, or Sonoma, you're running an UNSUPPORTED version of MacOS. Please contact Chris Freemesser to arrange for a free OS upgrade

1. Open a web browser and download the CrowdStrike installer appropriate for the version of MacOS you're running (this link only works from a non-guest UR network):

https://www.cvs.rochester.edu/cvspriv/downloads/CrowdStrike/Crowdstrike_Mac.pkg is for Big Sur, Monterey, and Ventura

https://www.cvs.rochester.edu/cvspriv/downloads/CrowdStrike/Crowdstrike_Mac_CatalinaAndOlder.pkg is for Catalina, Mojave, and older

This program should be downloaded to your "Downloads" folder, which usually appears near the Trash can in the system dock (ie: the selection of app icons that normally appears at the bottom edge of your desktop).

2. Right-click or Control-click on the "Crowdstrike_Mac.pkg" file you downloaded. A window may open telling you the author can't be verified...click the Open button to bypass this and launch the installer. Double-clicking the installer will not allow you to run it

3. Run the installer...it's self-explanatory and will both remove Cylance and install CrowdStrike. You *may* receive an error during installation saying that a system extension has been blocked. To resolve this issue click on the "Open Security Preferences" button...this will open the "Security & Privacy preference pane". Click on the lock icon to unlock it, then click on the Allow button (there should be a notice next to it saying that Falcon was blocked from installing software). This should allow the installer to complete...when complete, reboot your computer. If the installer doesn't complete successfully, run it a second time...this usually results in a successful install.

4. In theory if the installer ran successfully you'll see an app called "Falcon" appear in your /Applications folder. The app basically does nothing except tell you Falcon is installed. There is unfortunately no user interface per se for Falcon