CrowdStrike is a leading cybersecurity company that specializes in cloud-native endpoint protection. It provides solutions to protect against malware, ransomware, and other cybersecurity threats. CrowdStrike’s platform uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to detect and respond to security incidents and breaches in real-time.
Installing CrowdStrike on an Azure Virtual Machine (VM) can be crucial to enhance the security of your cloud infrastructure. It allows you to monitor and protect your VMs from various cyber threats and ensure they are compliant with security policies.
Here are step-by-step instructions for installing CrowdStrike on an Azure VM:
Step 1: Sign Up and Prepare
- Sign Up for CrowdStrike: Visit the CrowdStrike website and sign up for their services. You will need to obtain the necessary licenses and credentials for your organization.
- Prepare Your Azure VM: Ensure you have an Azure VM ready to install CrowdStrike. It should be running your desired operating system (e.g., Windows Server or a Linux distribution) and have internet access to download the CrowdStrike agent.
Step 2: Download the CrowdStrike Agent
- Log into CrowdStrike Falcon: Log into the CrowdStrike Falcon platform with your credentials.
- Download the CrowdStrike Agent: Navigate to the section where you can download the CrowdStrike agent. You can usually find this in the dashboard. Choose the agent installer that matches the operating system and architecture of your Azure VM.
Step 3: Transfer the Agent to Your Azure VM
- Copy the Agent: Download the CrowdStrike agent to your local machine and then copy it to your Azure VM. You can use secure copy (SCP) for Linux or simply copy and paste for Windows.
scp /path/to/crowdstrike-agent-linux.rpm azureuser@<VM IP>:~/crowdstrike-agent.rpm
Step 4: Install CrowdStrike Agent on Azure VM
- Connect to Your VM: Use SSH (Linux) or Remote Desktop (Windows) to connect to your Azure VM.
- Install the Agent (Linux): If you’re using a Linux VM, you can use commands similar to the following (adapt based on your agent version):
sudo rpm -ivh ~/crowdstrike-agent.rpm # For RPM-based systems
sudo dpkg -i ~/crowdstrike-agent.deb # For Debian-based systems
Install the Agent (Windows): On a Windows VM, you typically run an installer executable (e.g., CrowdStrike_installer.exe) to install the agent.
Step 5: Configure CrowdStrike Agent
- Configure the Agent: After installation, you may need to configure the agent with your CrowdStrike account details. This often involves specifying your Falcon instance, activating the agent, and possibly setting up group policies.
Step 6: Monitor and Manage
- Monitor and Manage: Once the agent is installed and configured, you can monitor and manage your VM’s security through the CrowdStrike Falcon platform. You can track security events, manage security policies, and respond to threats as needed.
CrowdStrike Installation in window with Examples
Step 1: Login to VM using remote desktop:

Step 2: Download crowdstrike files using below link
Step 3: Set the values
$falcon_cid = ‘XXXXXX’
$falcon_client_id = ‘XXXXXX’
$falcon_client_secret = ‘XXXXXX’
$falcon_install_parameters = “/install /quiet /norestart”
Step 4 : Set execution policy
Set-ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted

Step 5: Run crowstrike command
.\falcon_windows_install.ps1 -FalconCid $falcon_cid -FalconClientId $falcon_client_id -FalconClientSecret $falcon_client_secret -InstallParams $falcon_install_parameters -Verbose
Step 6: Validate whether crowstrike is running once above step completed

CrowdStrike Installation in Non window with Examples
Step 1: Login to the respect non window machine’
Step 2: Download crowdstrikes files and move non window env using winscp
Step 3: Run the following installation commands
Run the following installation commands (it may vary depending upon the OS)
If your app to install is not available in the Debian repository, but it is available as a .deb download. You can install it manually using dpkg
sudo dpkg -i ./<installer package> (RHEL or CentOS it may be sudo apt install ./<installer package>)
sudo apt install ./falcon-sensor_7.02.0-15705_amd64.deb --fix-broken -y
Get customer ID checksum-License key (e.g. opt/CrowdStrike/falconctl -g –cid) copy the key and paste it in the next step.
sudo su – (Move to root user)
/opt/CrowdStrike/falconctl -s -f –cid=<paste the license key>
Step 4: Verify it’s installed.
systemctl restart falcon-sensor
systemctl status falcon-sensor
CrowdStrike advantages
CrowdStrike offers several advantages as a leading cybersecurity platform:
- Cloud-Native Approach: CrowdStrike is a cloud-native platform, meaning it’s designed to take full advantage of the scalability, agility, and real-time capabilities of cloud computing. This allows for rapid deployment, scalability, and flexibility in responding to cyber threats.
- Endpoint Protection: It provides comprehensive endpoint protection, detecting and responding to threats on individual devices (endpoints), including servers, laptops, desktops, and mobile devices.
- Real-Time Threat Detection: CrowdStrike uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to provide real-time threat detection. It can identify and respond to known and unknown threats, such as malware, ransomware, and zero-day vulnerabilities.
- Falcon Platform: The CrowdStrike Falcon platform allows organizations to manage their security in one central location. It provides a wide range of features, including security dashboards, policy management, and incident response capabilities.
- Efficacy and Accuracy: CrowdStrike is known for its high efficacy in detecting and preventing cyber threats. Its machine learning models continuously improve accuracy, reducing false positives and false negatives.
- Endpoint Visibility: It offers deep visibility into endpoint activities, including processes, network connections, and user behavior. This visibility is crucial for monitoring and responding to security incidents effectively.
- Response Capabilities: CrowdStrike provides response capabilities, allowing security teams to take action to remediate threats in real-time. This includes isolating compromised endpoints, killing malicious processes, and rolling back changes.
- Threat Intelligence: CrowdStrike provides valuable threat intelligence to its users, helping organizations stay informed about emerging threats and vulnerabilities. This proactive approach enables organizations to defend against evolving cyber threats.
- Cloud Workload Protection: In addition to endpoints, CrowdStrike offers protection for cloud workloads, ensuring that virtual machines and containers in cloud environments are secure.
- Ease of Management: The platform is user-friendly and offers centralized management, making it easier for security teams to configure policies, track security events, and respond to incidents.
- Integration Capabilities: CrowdStrike can integrate with other security tools and platforms, allowing organizations to create a holistic and interconnected security ecosystem.
- Scalability: CrowdStrike can scale with the growth of your organization, making it suitable for small businesses and large enterprises alike.
- Compliance: It helps organizations meet regulatory compliance requirements by providing the tools and features needed to maintain a secure and compliant IT environment.
- Global Threat Intelligence: CrowdStrike’s global threat intelligence team tracks and reports on emerging threats and trends, enabling organizations to stay ahead of cyber adversaries.
- Reduced Dwell Time: By quickly detecting and responding to threats, CrowdStrike helps reduce the “dwell time” of attackers in your environment, limiting potential damage and data breaches.