CrowdStrike Falcon Reviews

We use the solution for Windows and non-Windows infrastructure. We have Falcon clients on all our machines.

We integrate with CyberArk, which includes DNA reporting, particularly for identifying old and ticket-based attacks. We’ve implemented this integration to receive risk-based scoring. Our strategy focuses on preventing privilege escalation, as our last major incident, NotPetya, resulted from this vulnerability. To address this, we’ve implemented measures through CyberArk and CrowdStrike.

When we encounter phishing attacks via email, we sandbox any reported items. Whenever a suspicious email is reported, we conduct sandboxing in CrowdStrike and block emails, domains, and IPs based on the resulting threat intelligence.

The most critical aspect is preventing privilege escalation, particularly for domain admins with the highest credentials. With our integration of CyberArk, passwords are never transmitted to the endpoint. Instead, a secure RDP file is created, and Falcon is used to prevent privilege escalation attempts.

As customers, we always update our systems whenever a new release is available, with clients connecting directly to the Internet for these updates. We have an agent who manages these updates on the clients, but as an organization, we don’t have control over them. CrowdStrike should assess the impact on endpoints before releasing such updates.

Our organization now seeks AI-based stock monitoring to prioritize thousands of alerts generated across various platforms. The AI integration is still in its early stages, so we would like to see Falcon develop tools that can integrate with multiple platforms and help identify the highest-priority alerts.

I have been using CrowdStrike Falcon Threat Intelligence since 2017. We are using the latest version of the solution.

I rate the solution’s stability a nine out of ten.

The integration part is very good. CrowdStrike collaborates with most security vendors, so it's very easy to get one platform for our risk factors across the enterprise.

40 thousand devices are using this solution. We get many alerts from Falcon, sometimes from end users and sometimes from Internet-facing servers.

I rate the solution's scalability a nine out of ten.

We struggle to get specialized resources from CrowdStrike in a few cases.

Neutral

CrowdStrike Falcon Black is an on-premise solution that was very complicated, so we faced performance issues. The main reason for the switch is the performance issues reported by multiple application owners.

Initially, we faced many challenges because we had to open ports from each of our subnets to Falcon, as it’s a SaaS solution. Each client needs to communicate with Falcon servers for threat intelligence. Due to the complexity of our network, we had to carefully consider all security aspects when opening the external communication ports to Falcon.

It took 25 to 30 days to deploy it completely.

We began with our Tier 0 servers, which had the most critical and highest privileges. After securing those, we moved on to Tier 1 and Tier 2 as we continued deployment. Our approach was to first address the highest risk factors across the enterprise and then gradually move on to securing endpoints like user desktops and laptops.

I rate the initial setup as seven out of ten, where one is difficult, and ten is easy.

We took professional services from CrowdStrike, so it was done in-house with only two people: one from the execution team and one from the cybersecurity team.

When we track the annual priority cases, especially the security incidents, we have made many improvements. That is ROI in terms of tracking security incidents.

I rate the product’s pricing a six out of ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive.

Most customer requirements focus on email security, so we’ve implemented Mimecast. CrowdStrike Falcon integrates with Mimecast, allowing us to provide advanced security beyond Office 365’s capabilities. With DMARC in place, Falcon helps us identify domains that pose a risk to the organization.

I advise you to look for customer feedback, and then they should also look for Gartner and other industry leaders so you get the ranking.

Overall, I rate the solution a seven out of ten.

I am currently using CrowdStrike Falcon as an EDR, which is integrated with SIEM. We also work in a real-time environment with the product. As a Falconist, I perform investigation actions on it. There are three different kinds of alerts I deal with: one based purely on IOCs, another process-oriented IOA, and those based on machine learning alerts. This is what I work on, and it is actually a good tool. It has multiple features, including real-time connection to the RTR environment, allowing direct remote host connection through CrowdStrike. I have multiple options like host search and event search, enabling me to do everything I need. It's a comprehensive package. It's a challenging tool to explore, but once accustomed to it, it is quite excellent.

Obviously, when checking in the SIEM, not all logs are available. In CrowdStrike, unlike SIEM, actions are clearly defined. For example, a regular AV like Symantec might indicate a file was quarantined or failed to quarantine, but in CrowdStrike, I can verify the action. As an incident response analyst, I can use CrowdStrike to perform actions like directly wiping a file from a host if given access. I can investigate by accessing the customer's host based on the RTR environment and utilize host search to know details for the past seven days, including logins, processes, file installations, malicious processes, and network connections. Event search also allows for detailed investigations, showing accessed files and remote installations.

In CrowdStrike, with the variety of security tools available, learning the different query languages can be challenging. I use KQL queries with Sentinel and AQL with QRadar, and CrowdStrike's query language is different as well. This requires constant learning for security analysts. Simplifying the querying process, such as using double quote queries or directly obtaining logs based on IP addresses or usernames, would be beneficial. The event search tab in CrowdStrike is complex, though the host search is more straightforward and gets details from the past week. The querying system, similar to Splunk, could be made more user-friendly.

I have been using it for the past two years.

The stability is always great. I have never seen instability in the CrowdStrike tool.

When it comes to scalability, it is entirely based on premium models according to demand. Our log retention is low, but paying more increases it. Scalability is moderate, based on the charges paid to the CrowdStrike product service team. Offering good services, like better log retention at a lower price, would be excellent.

The CrowdStrike team is very efficient; I would rate them ten out of ten. They respond quickly when it comes to providing services.

Positive

I have worked on Symantec ATP, advanced threat protection, but it is a legacy product. Many companies have moved away from Symantec, and they use legacy antivirus solutions. The integration with Symantec ATP was tough, and event or host searches were based entirely on raw logs.

The current setup is easy, but it could be more natural and make drill-down searches simpler. With advancements in AI, integration could streamline responses further, but there is still room for making the process easier.

The integration task should be done by engineers. I'm interested in the process and have learned something about integration, but we have not fully explored all integration aspects.

CrowdStrike is a great solution. It's a hands-on tool. I have not seen other EDRs like it. Compared to Carbon Black, which is much more difficult with a different UI, CrowdStrike allows direct, detailed investigation with a PID generated for each process. It offers unique abilities not seen in other EDRs. Overall product rating: nine out of ten.

Due to compliance requirements, our organization utilizes CrowdStrike Falcon as our Endpoint Detection and Response solution. This decision was particularly driven by the need to address a surge of ransomware attacks within our environment, experiencing between ten and 15 incidents at the time. The implementation of an EDR solution became crucial for effectively responding to these threats.

Our existing system lacked real-time monitoring and visibility, causing detection delays of even several minutes. CrowdStrike addressed this by offering near-instantaneous detection across the entire system. Furthermore, it allows for manual or automated response actions, significantly improving our overall incident response speed.

Integrating CrowdStrike Falcon with other solutions such as our SIEM was easy.

The key aspect of CrowdStrike Falcon is its behavioral detection approach. Unlike traditional signature-based platforms that rely on pre-defined patterns, Falcon analyzes an application's behavior to identify and respond to threats much faster. This makes it lightweight and minimizes impact on system performance. The sandbox feature is also valuable, while it incurs an additional cost, it can be valuable for deeper investigation.

The UI is not efficient. We are required to dig down to get more information, jumping from screen to screen.

I have been using CrowdStrike Falcon for three and a half years.

CrowdStrike Falcon generally ran smoothly with minimal lag.

CrowdStrike Falcon meets our scaling needs. To increase usage we simply add more agents.

Frustrated by CrowdStrike's slow and inconsistent technical support, we ended up having more success researching and resolving the issue ourselves.

Neutral

Leveraging the cloud platform, the initial deployment was straightforward. We simply needed to activate and deploy the agents. While configuration for a seasoned professional only took one to two hours, the entire deployment process typically takes a couple of days.

CrowdStrike Falcon can be more expensive than some competitors, and its base price doesn't cover every feature. For instance, adding sandboxing for advanced malware analysis incurs an extra cost.

We evaluated CrowdStrike and SentinelOne. However, since we bought the CrowdStrike, we did not move forward with SentinelOne.

CrowdStrike stands out for its superior threat detection speed, lightweight agents that don't impact system performance, and its helpful recommendations for responding to threats. This combination allows us to swiftly stop even unknown threats in their tracks.

I would rate CrowdStrike Falcon eight out of ten.

Two engineers max are required for maintenance.

We have 5,000 CrowdStrike Falcon users within our organization.

CrowdStrike Falcon utilizes a behavioral approach to security, proactively identifying threats based on their actions rather than relying on pre-defined signatures. This allows for faster response times compared to traditional signature-based systems.

A lot of customers face ransomware and malware attacks. The solution helps protect endpoints and servers from ransomware and malware attacks.

The solution has multiple layers of security, including web security. We can monitor endpoints, conduct root cause analysis, and find geolocations. If the tool finds any suspicious activity, it blocks and remediates it.

The solution makes our security operations easier. After an incident, we get complete reports and insights. The product provides good monitoring features. The product also has teams that help customers find suspicious activities. The team calls and asks us to check the updates and remediate issues. If the system can remediate it, the team does it through the system. The detection and response are in real-time. There are no security breaches. Resolving issues doesn’t take much time.

The tool is more expensive than other products in the market.

I have been using the solution for more than 3 years.

I did not have any stability issues.

It is easy to scale up. We just need to add the licenses. The product is suitable for small, medium, and large businesses. We must buy a minimum of 50 licenses.

The support is excellent. We rarely need support.

Positive

The initial setup is pretty simple and clear. The time taken for deployment depends on the endpoints. It's a cloud solution. We can use Active Directory or the group policies to deploy it.

The product has a lot of use cases. There are companies that need to run their operations 24/7. It will be a big challenge if their server or infrastructure goes down. They cannot afford downtime. They need to choose the right solution for their needs.

The price depends on the kind of service we need. If we need excellent service, we must pay a reasonable price. We can choose any pricing model if we do not want excellent service. The product is excellent. We need to pay a premium price for the tool.

Microsoft Defender Threat Intelligence, IBM, and Cisco are some competitors. CrowdStrike entered the market with a USP to protect endpoint servers. It has a different approach. Malwarebytes has a similar setup. I prefer CrowdStrike, though.

I will recommend the tool to others depending on their budget. If customers have a good budget and need a premium product, they can choose CrowdStrike. No product is perfect. Overall, I rate the tool an 8 out of 10.

The most valuable feature of CrowdStrike Falcon is its accuracy.

CrowdStrike Falcon could improve the logs by making them free to the API.

I have used CrowdStrike Falcon for two years.

The solution is stable.

CrowdStrike Falcon is a scalable solution.

We have approximately 800 people using this solution in my organization.

CrowdStrike Falcon technical support has been fine in my experience.

I have used other solutions before CrowdStrike Falcon, such as Symantec.

Symantec does not have any advantage over CrowdStrike.

The initial setup of CrowdStrike Falcon is easy.

The price of CrowdStrike Falcon is reasonable.

I rate CrowdStrike Falcon a nine out of ten.

We use the solution for endpoint security. We use the tool to ensure the endpoints are protected from abnormal activities, people don't run different scripts, and people don't compromise endpoints and use them to get into the network.

The solution's most valuable feature is that it is robust and can detect almost every malicious activity that occurs within the endpoint.

I would like a centralized deployment where I could roll out or push it to all endpoints.

I have been using CrowdStrike Falcon Surface for two years.

CrowdStrike Falcon Surface is a very stable solution.

CrowdStrike Falcon Surface is a very scalable solution. A lot of customers are using CrowdStrike Falcon Surface. One of our customers for the solution has 12,000 endpoints.

The solution's technical support is handled centrally by CrowdStrike, and the support was also good and knowledgeable.

I didn't deploy the solution, but I supported customers that use it. I think it took them up to six months to deploy the CrowdStrike Falcon Surface.

The solution somehow doesn't allow intrusion and minimizes fraud or cyber-attacks. Within the time we're using it, CrowdStrike Falcon Surface detected a lot of intrusion from malicious individuals. It was able to prevent a lot of insider threats where people internally will want to run some malicious scripts within the environment.

It detects those malicious attacks quickly, and we can prevent them. It minimized a lot of cyber and fraud-related activities that could have cost the bank a lot of money.

CrowdStrike Falcon Surface is a cloud-based solution. In light of the recent global IT outage that affected CrowdStrike, they should do proper change management.

Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

We use the EDR feature.

This is unlike any other EDR solution that I am familiar with. It provides very good protection and the ability to crosscheck environments. It's really helpful in investigating any alerts and is easy to use. You can use some of the Splunk language to search. 

We've tried some integrations with solutions, closing off false positives and things like that. Falcon could include more features in that area. In addition, some features are modularized and we're unable to buy them as we're in the healthcare field and limited in the amount we can invest. 

I've been using this product for close to 18 months. 

We haven't had any stability issues. 

The solution is very scalable but we had issues with some groups, that manage their own devices and wanted to have access to self-manage them. We weren't able to do that, unfortunately.

My team has interacted with tech support and I believe the issues were resolved in a timely manner.

Positive

We previously used other solutions such as Setinel One.

The initial setup was very straightforward and smooth.

Falcon is more expensive than every other solution on the market. That said, they do have a better product than anyone else.

Some of the default settings are set to 'easy' which isn't sufficient. We had some conversations around this and the recommendation was to change some of these settings to more aggressive ones on the policy side. I know some organizations have had issues automatically updating CrowdStrike to the latest version. I recommend going through the change process but saving it at minus one for a while to avoid all the negative downtimes where you might need to roll back to the previous update.

When we switched to CrowdStrike, we didn't expect it to find anything that was already on the computer because the primary reason we swapped was because of EDR. But it did find things that were dormant as well as other things.

I rate this solution nine out of 10. 

It gives an overview and insights into my AD accounts. It shows if any identity, like an AD user, is compromised, has a weak password, or is logging in from an unusual system. Any anomalies.

I like the insights and detailed view of my AD structure. How protected it is, or is there any loophole or an area that needs more protection. 

Another feature I like is that it gives insights into all my domain controllers and ADCs. The configuration is also really easy.

The real-time monitoring feature is good. For example, a user account is hacked. It alerts me that it's been hacked and prompts me to look into it or have the user change their password. I can then log in to my AD, change the password, or notify the user that their account has been compromised and ask them to change their password.

AI capabilities of CrowdStrike are also good. 

When I use Identity Protection, I want the full stack, like going for XDR. If anything happens, like a laptop being compromised using a password, it gives me the entire attack flow. For example, the attack came from a particular user, like an IT admin. If their identity is hacked and they log into multiple systems, and those systems are affected, we can see those details and provide good support or recovery for customers and partners.

I'm concerned about the recent issue in July 2024. It involved a faulty content configuration update. What if another update causes the same problem again?

I have been using it for two years.

Stability, I would rate it as a seven out of ten. There are a few instances where our customers have complained about the digital signatures it uses. Sometimes, even if you create a policy, it still tends to block it. A few applications get flagged as malicious even though the customer trusts them. Even if you create an exception rule, it might still block it after a few weeks. Also, there's the recent issue we faced with CrowdStrike and Windows. So, based on that, I'd give it a seven out of ten.

There is room for improvement. They need to conduct more thorough R&D before releasing updates. I think they didn't do that this time, but it was just a one-time issue. However, what if it happens again? That's a concern.

Scalability-wise, I would give it a ten out of ten. It's simple because it's a SaaS solution. For example, this month, I have 50 users. Next month, I have 50 additional users. I just need to buy more licenses and add those systems to CrowdStrike. If I need to put them in certain groups with specific policies, that's easy too.

We work with all types of businesses, including small, medium, and enterprise businesses. Scalability is simple. I don't even need to install it on my laptop. One more good thing is that it offers an XDR view where I can add other components, like the email security solution Proofpoint. I can integrate it, so I'll get my emails and everything will be in a single pane of glass.  

We have a Technical Account Manager (TAM). We can directly call them and raise a ticket. Initially, it was a six or even a five because we had to send an email, and it would take three to four days for them to reply. Now, with the TAM, we can get issues resolved faster.

Positive

I have experience with CrowdStrike, apart from their Cloud Security offering, which is on GCP. I've worked with CrowdStrike Identity Protection, Device Control, Device Control, EDR, XDR - basically everything except their cloud solution.

The initial setup is straightforward. I don't need to install an agent in my AD, and I can get alerts from my read-only domain controller, which is also good.

I would rate my experience with the initial setup a ten out of ten, with ten being easy and one being difficult. 

It's not required to deploy on-premises. It's a SaaS solution. I just need to download the agent and install it on each of my devices, whether they're VMs or my laptop. 

One more good thing is that I don't need to be in my office network for it to keep protecting me. I can take the system home, and it will still be protected.

The deployment itself takes about a day to install everything if it's user-based. But for CrowdStrike to learn what to block and what not to block in your specific environment, it will take easily about two weeks. There will be some applications that it might consider a threat because it's a next-gen AV that uses AI. 

So, some applications the customer uses might be flagged. I can whitelist them or create a policy to allow them. That's also a very good feature of CrowdStrike. 

So, for the initial setup takes two weeks. For it to get to know your environment and work smoothly, just to install agents and set up the dashboard, policies, and all that, it takes about one day.

It offers seamless integration with the existing security infrastructure. We haven't faced any challenges because our customers use CrowdStrike only for endpoint and server security. They haven't gone to the XDR level yet. However, many other OEMs I've spoken to, like Zerto, have said that the CrowdStrike and Zerto integration is very seamless. So, if anything happens on my server end, I'll know when it happened and what the issue is from CrowdStrike. Or, for example a ransomware attack happens, I can restore from my Zerto application.

The benefit I've seen is their backend, which powers the EDR, XDR, and NGAV. It's really good because it can detect anything due to the wide range of customers they have. 

For example, one customer has a vulnerability because of a zero-day attack. All the other customers will benefit because it propagates to the cloud and analyzes if other customers are on the same version of the drivers or any other Windows patch. If they are, it will tell us that there's an issue and provide remediation steps. Many of our customers find this very helpful. It's called the CrowdStrike community.

I would rate it a seven out of ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive because it's a bit on the costlier side. Compared to Symantec or Trend Micro, CrowdStrike is more expensive.

Overall, I would rate the product an eight out of ten because of one recent issue that happened. 

I'm concerned about the recent issue that happened. What if another update causes the same problem again? Is it really as good as it seems? Even our customers have given very good feedback, they get more insights into what's happening, what they should do, and what remediation steps to take. So, in that way, it's very good.

I would recommend it, especially if you're going for endpoint security. I'd definitely recommend CrowdStrike first because it's more mature than SentinelOne and other EDR solutions in the APAC region.