deploying-edr-agent-with-crowdstrike

mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-SkillsSecurityAudit pendingSnapshot d80dd72b772e

Summary

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SKILL.md

Deploying EDR Agent with CrowdStrike

When to Use

Use this skill when:

Deploying CrowdStrike Falcon sensors to Windows, macOS, or Linux endpoints
Configuring Falcon prevention and detection policies for different endpoint groups
Integrating CrowdStrike telemetry with SIEM (Splunk, Elastic, Sentinel) for correlated detection
Troubleshooting sensor connectivity, performance, or detection issues

Do not use this skill for deploying other EDR solutions (Carbon Black, SentinelOne) or for Falcon cloud workload protection (use cloud-specific deployment guides).

Prerequisites

CrowdStrike Falcon console access with Falcon Administrator role
Customer ID (CID) and Falcon sensor installer package
Administrative/root access on target endpoints
Network access: endpoints must reach CrowdStrike cloud (ts01-b.cloudsink.net on port 443)
Deployment tool: SCCM, Intune, GPO, Ansible, or manual installation

Workflow

Step 1: Obtain Falcon Sensor Installer and CID

1. Log into Falcon Console: https://falcon.crowdstrike.com
2. Navigate: Host setup and management → Sensor downloads
3. Download the appropriate installer:
   - Windows: WindowsSensor_<version>.exe
   - macOS: FalconSensorMacOS_<version>.pkg
   - Linux: falcon-sensor_<version>_amd64.deb / .rpm
4. Copy the Customer ID (CID) from the Sensor downloads page
   - CID format: <32-char-hex>-<2-char-checksum>

Step 2: Deploy Falcon Sensor - Windows

Silent installation via command line:

WindowsSensor_7.18.17106.exe /install /quiet /norestart CID=<YOUR_CID>

SCCM deployment:

1. Create an Application in SCCM
2. Deployment type: Script Installer
3. Install command: WindowsSensor_7.18.17106.exe /install /quiet /norestart CID=<CID>
4. Detection method: Registry key exists
   - HKLM\SYSTEM\CrowdStrike\{9b03c1d9-3138-44ed-9fae-d9f4c034b88d}\{16e0423f-7058-48c9-a204-725362b67639}\Default
5. Deploy to target collection
6. Deployment purpose: Required (for mandatory installation)

1. Navigate: Devices → Windows → Configuration profiles
2. Create Win32 app deployment
3. Upload .intunewin package (wrapped sensor installer)
4. Install command: WindowsSensor_7.18.17106.exe /install /quiet /norestart CID=<CID>
5. Detection rule: File exists C:\Windows\System32\drivers\CrowdStrike\csagent.sys
6. Assign to device group

# Create startup script that checks for existing installation
$sensorPath = "C:\Windows\System32\drivers\CrowdStrike\csagent.sys"
if (-not (Test-Path $sensorPath)) {
    Start-Process -FilePath "\\fileserver\CrowdStrike\WindowsSensor.exe" `
      -ArgumentList "/install /quiet /norestart CID=<CID>" -Wait
}

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo dpkg -i falcon-sensor_7.18.0-17106_amd64.deb
sudo /opt/CrowdStrike/falconctl -s -f --cid=<YOUR_CID>
sudo systemctl start falcon-sensor
sudo systemctl enable falcon-sensor

# RHEL/CentOS
sudo yum install falcon-sensor-7.18.0-17106.el8.x86_64.rpm
sudo /opt/CrowdStrike/falconctl -s -f --cid=<YOUR_CID>
sudo systemctl start falcon-sensor
sudo systemctl enable falcon-sensor

# Verify sensor is running and connected
sudo /opt/CrowdStrike/falconctl -g --rfm-state
# Expected output: rfm-state=false (sensor is communicating with cloud)

# Install sensor package
sudo installer -pkg FalconSensorMacOS_7.18.pkg -target /

# Set CID
sudo /Applications/Falcon.app/Contents/Resources/falconctl license <YOUR_CID>

# Grant Full Disk Access and System Extension via MDM profile
# Required for macOS Ventura+ (manual approval or MDM PPPC profile)
# MDM payload: com.crowdstrike.falcon.Agent → SystemExtension + Full Disk Access

# Verify sensor status
sudo /Applications/Falcon.app/Contents/Resources/falconctl stats

Machine Learning:
  - Cloud ML: Aggressive (extra protection, may increase false positives)
  - Sensor ML: Moderate
  - Adware & PUP: Moderate

Behavioral Protection:
  - On Write: Enabled (detect malware on file creation)
  - On Sensor ML: Enabled
  - Interpreter-Only: Enabled (detect script-based attacks)

Exploit Mitigation:
  - Exploit behavior protection: Enabled
  - Memory scanning: Enabled (detects in-memory attacks)
  - Code injection: Enabled

Ransomware:
  - Ransomware protection: Enabled
  - Shadow copy protection: Enabled
  - MBR protection: Enabled

Real-Time Response:
  - Enable RTR for all sensor groups
  - Configure RTR admin vs. RTR responder roles
  - Enable script execution (for IR teams)
  - Enable file extraction (for forensics)

Network Containment:
  - Pre-authorize containment for specific host groups
  - Configure containment exclusions (allow management traffic)

Automated Response:
  - Enable automated remediation for high-confidence detections
  - Configure kill process action for ransomware detections
  - Enable quarantine for malware file detections

# Windows: Check Falcon sensor status
sc query csagent
# Expected: RUNNING

# Check sensor version
reg query "HKLM\SYSTEM\CrowdStrike\{9b03c1d9-3138-44ed-9fae-d9f4c034b88d}\{16e0423f-7058-48c9-a204-725362b67639}\Default" /v AgentVersion

# Verify cloud connectivity
# In Falcon Console: Host Management → Hosts → search for hostname
# Status should show "Online" with last seen timestamp < 5 minutes

# CrowdStrike provides test detection samples
# Download CsTestDetect.exe from Falcon Console → Host setup
# Run on endpoint to generate a test detection
.\CsTestDetect.exe
# Verify detection appears in Falcon Console within 60 seconds

# Falcon SIEM Connector (Streaming API)
# Configure in Falcon Console: Support → API Clients and Keys

# Create API client with scope: Event Streams → Read
# Use falcon-siem-connector or Falcon Data Replicator (FDR)

# Splunk integration:
# Install CrowdStrike Falcon Event Streams Technical Add-on from Splunkbase
# Configure: Settings → Data inputs → CrowdStrike Falcon Event Streams
# Enter API Client ID and Secret
# Index: crowdstrike_events

# Elastic integration:
# Use Elastic Agent with CrowdStrike module
# Configure: Fleet → Agent policies → Add integration → CrowdStrike

Term	Definition
Falcon Sensor	Lightweight kernel-mode agent (25-30 MB) that collects endpoint telemetry and enforces prevention policies
CID (Customer ID)	Unique identifier that associates the sensor with your CrowdStrike Falcon tenant
RFM (Reduced Functionality Mode)	State where sensor operates with limited capability due to cloud connectivity loss
Sensor Grouping Tags	Labels applied during installation to auto-assign hosts to groups and policies
RTR (Real-Time Response)	Remote shell capability for incident responders to interact with endpoints through Falcon
IOA (Indicators of Attack)	Behavioral detections based on adversary techniques rather than static signatures

deploying-edr-agent-with-crowdstrike

Summary

SKILL.md

Deploying EDR Agent with CrowdStrike

When to Use

Prerequisites

Workflow

Step 1: Obtain Falcon Sensor Installer and CID

Step 2: Deploy Falcon Sensor - Windows

Step 3: Deploy Falcon Sensor - Linux

Step 4: Deploy Falcon Sensor - macOS

Step 5: Configure Prevention Policies

Step 6: Configure Response Policies

Step 7: Validate Deployment

Step 8: SIEM Integration

Key Concepts

Tools & Systems

Common Pitfalls

Related skills