Endpoint Security, CrowdStrike, Installation via Munki & MECM
Systems
CrowdStrike
Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (MECM, formerly SCCM)
Munki Mac Endpoint Management
Affected Customers
University of Illinois IT Pros leveraging Technology Services CrowdStrike
University of Illinois IT Pros leveraging Technology Services Endpoint Services Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (MECM, formerly SCCM) and/or Munki Mac Endpoint Management systems.
Note: Best practice is to only use Endpoint Services systems for initial onboarding of endpoints into CrowdStrike.
Sensor updates should be managed from within the CrowdStrike console.
Actions
General Information
Technology Services offers the CrowdStrike Falcon endpoint protection system to the Urbana-Champaign campus. The Endpoint Services (EPS) MECM and Munki services both offer installers.
Manual installations and additional install parameters are covered in the knowledgebase article, Endpoint Services, CrowdStrike, Manual Installation and Uninstallation.
For information on migrating existing CrowdStrike installations to a different CrowdStrike instance via MECM or Munki, please refer to the Endpoint Security, CrowdStrike, Migrating Endpoints to a Different CrowdStrike Instance via Munki & MECM article.
Using MECM to Deploy CrowdStrike
Be sure to disable MECM's management of Windows' endpoint protection prior to deploying CrowdStrike to your endpoints.
See the 'Disabling MECM Endpoint Protection Management' section below for additional information.
For MECM stakeholders utilizing the Community management model:
Deploy CrowdStrike using a package found at “\Software Library\Overview\Application Management\Applications\MANAGED APPLICATIONS\CrowdStrike\*”.
For MECM stakeholders utilizing the Named or Self-Managed management model:
Due to the requirement of providing a unique customer ID checksum ("CCID" or "CID") for your unit's specific CrowdStrike instance at the time of installation, EPS cannot package a global installer that will work out-of-the-box for Named/Self-Managed instances. Instead, IT Pros should submit an MECM support request to have a copy of the application placed in their unit folder. Be sure to include your unit's CrowdStrike instance CID in the request.
Disabling MECM Endpoint Protection Management
For both Community and Named/Self-Managed models, IT Pros will want to disable the management of Endpoint Protection via the MECM client for machines with CrowdStrike installed. Failure to do so may result in the MECM client becoming unresponsive, becoming non-compliant in the MECM Client Check, and generating errors in log files. This can be accomplished by configuring the client setting "Manage Endpoint Protection client on computers" to "No" and removing any Endpoint Protection policies (Antimalware Policies, Windows Defender Exploit Guard, etc.) that may be deployed to a machine. Please note that this will disable management and reporting pertaining to Endpoint Protection/Windows Defender.
To assist with this, a Configuration Item (CI) called ‘Audit MECM SCEP Policy’ has been created under ‘\Assets and Compliance\Overview\Compliance Settings\Configuration Items’. When deployed via a Configuration Baseline (CB), this CI will flag any endpoints that currently have a MECM Endpoint Protection policy enabled as non-compliant. Collections based on CB compliance can be created by right-clicking the deployment of a CB, selecting ‘Create New Collection’, then selecting the desired compliance status. One approach for the above CI would be to create a collection of endpoints that are compliant and deploy CrowdStrike to it, ensuring that there is no conflict among the recipients.
Please note that CrowdStrike may also encounter conflicts with Windows Defender that is managed by Group Policy. While this it outside the scope of MECM, we recommend also checking your GPOs before deploying CrowdStrike.
Additional information on configuring client settings can be found here.
Additional information on configuring configuration baselines can be found here.
Using Munki to Deploy CrowdStrike
Due to increased privacy and security features in recent macOS releases, CrowdStrike installation requires the following additional steps to be taken, either manually or via Workspace ONE profiles. These steps can't be fulfilled by Munki.
- On macOS 10.13.4 through macOS 10.15, you will need to enable a kernel extension in order for CrowdStrike to function.
Read more about user-approved kernel extension loading.
- On macOS 10.15 and above, you will need to grant full disk access in order for CrowdStrike to function properly.
Read more about granting full disk access.
- On macOS 11.0 and above, you will need to enable a system extension in order for CrowdStrike to function.
Read more about user-approved system extension loading.
- On macOS 11.0 and above, you will need to approve a network content filter in order for CrowdStrike to function.
macOS CrowdStrike deployments include a) the CrowdStrike base installer and b) a unit-specific license package. EPS provides the base installer at the UIUC repository level, but due to the fact that each unit has a unique customer ID checksum ("CCID" or "CID") for their specific CrowdStrike instance, a separate unit-specific license package must be created by EPS for each unit. This can be handled during initial provisioning into CrowdStrike. The unit license should be made an update for the base installer.
Steps to deploy CrowdStrike via Munki:
- Ensure that EPS has placed your unit-specific license package in your Munki repository; please contact EPS if you are uncertain.
- Add crowdstrike_falcon to the Managed Installs (or Optional Installs) section of your unit's Munki manifest(s), and run Managed Software Center. The installation will require a restart.
- On macOS 10.13.4 through 10.15, after the restart, log in and follow the prompts to approve and load the CrowdStrike kernel extension . This step won't be necessary if the Mac is enrolled in Workspace ONE and has already received the kext.crowdstrike profile.
- Run Managed Software Center a second time to install the unit license; no restart is required this time.
- On macOS 11.0 and above, follow the prompts to approve and load the CrowdStrike system extension and network content filter. This step won't be necessary if the Mac is enrolled in Workspace ONE and has already received the sysext.crowdstrike and webfilter.crowdstrike profiles.
- On macOS 10.15 and above, you will also need to grant full disk access in order for CrowdStrike to function properly. This step won't be necessary if the Mac is enrolled in Workspace ONE and has already received the fda.crowdstrike profile. See our KB article for instructions.