Crowdstrike: The Cybersecurity Firm That Took On Russian Hackers and Elon Musk

In 2016, a mysterious hacking group called Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) 28, also known as Fancy Bear, launched a cyberattack on the Democratic National Committee (DNC). The attack, later revealed to be sponsored by the Russian government, stole sensitive emails and documents and released them publicly, causing chaos in the political arena.

Enter Crowdstrike, a cybersecurity firm that specializes in threat-hunting and incident response. Founded in 2011 by three veteran security experts, Crowdstrike became the go-to provider for top-secret intelligence agencies and Fortune 500 companies. Its team of experts, led by CEO George Kurtz, prided themselves on their ability to identify and exorcise the most insidious and advanced threats.

The company’s reputation was put to the test when it was called in to investigate the DNC breach. Armed with advanced analytics and cutting-edge malware detection tools, Crowdstrike’s team, including lead incident responder, Dustin Dykes, dug deep into the hacking group’s digital footprint. Their mission was to identify the attackers, understand their tactics, and stop them before they struck again.

As Crowdstrike’s investigation unfolded, it became clear that the cyberattack was not just a case of hack and grab. The hackers had employed sophisticated methods to evade detection, including the use of custom malware and social engineering tactics to gain access to the DNC’s network.

Crowdstrike’s findings were explosive. They identified two Russian-speaking hackers, named “Comrade Pwn” and “DCbases,” and tracked them to a Russian military unit in Moscow. The company’s report, which was eventually shared with the FBI and other government agencies, revealed a staggering level of sophistication and coordination between the hackers and their Russian backers.

Fast-forward to 2020, when Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, found himself in the crosshairs of Crowdstrike’s cybersecurity expertise once again. This time, it was a Twitter hacking spree that had Musk and other high-profile targets scrambling to recover from the fallout.

In August 2020, a swarm of fake Twitter accounts, all tracing back to Russia, launched a coordinated attack on Musk, attempting to extort a ransom from him by threatening to release sensitive information. The hackers, who dubbed themselves “Glock,” used a combination of password-guessing and social engineering tactics to gain access to Musk’s Twitter account.

Crowdstrike was called in to investigate and respond to the hack, leveraging its expertise to identify the attackers, analyze their motive, and develop a strategy to prevent future attacks. The company worked closely with Twitter’s security team, providing real-time guidance and support to help contain the breach and prevent further unauthorized access.

While the Twitter hack may have been a low-key incident compared to the DNC breach, it demonstrated Crowdstrike’s ability to respond to a wide range of cyber threats and protect even the most prominent targets. Musk himself acknowledged the company’s expertise, tweeting, “Many thanks to @Crowdstrike for their help in mitigating the Twitter hack.”

Throughout its history, Crowdstrike has consistently demonstrated its expertise in threat-hunting and incident response, earning the trust of government agencies, Fortune 500 companies, and high-profile individuals like Elon Musk. As the cyber threat landscape continues to evolve, Crowdstrike remains a leading force in the fight against cybercrime, helping to protect individuals, organizations, and governments from the ever-present threat of hacking.