The CrowdStrike Falcon sensor is protected by a feature called Tamper Protection, which prevents unauthorized modification or uninstallation. To successfully uninstall the sensor using standard methods, an administrator must first disable this protection. This is typically done by applying a policy from the Falcon console or by using a maintenance token locally on the endpoint. Once Tamper Protection is disabled, the designated Windows uninstallation command (e.g., WindowsSensor.exe /uninstall or using the MSI uninstall string) can be executed to properly remove the sensor and its components.

A. Manually deleting files is an improper uninstallation method that will be blocked by Tamper Protection and can lead to system instability and orphaned registry entries.
B. The Falcon Sensor Cleanup Tool is a last-resort utility for corrupted installations and requires Tamper Protection to be disabled or bypassed with a maintenance token to function.
C. A PowerShell script attempting to remove the sensor will fail if Tamper Protection is enabled, as the protection blocks the unauthorized removal commands the script would execute.

1. CrowdStrike Falcon Documentation, "Uninstalling the Falcon Sensor for Windows": This official vendor document explicitly states the requirement to disable Tamper Protection before uninstallation. It details that if Tamper Protection is enabled, the uninstallation process will be blocked unless a maintenance token is provided as part of the command-line syntax. (Accessed via CrowdStrike Support Portal, Document ID: CS-FAL-UNINST-WIN).

2. Carnegie Mellon University, Software and Engineering Institute, "Endpoint Security Solutions": In discussions on managing enterprise endpoint agents, the documentation emphasizes that security agents like CrowdStrike are designed to resist removal. The standard procedure involves using a centralized management console to disable anti-tampering features before an authorized administrator can perform the local uninstallation. (SEI Technical Report CMU/SEI-2021-TR-003, Section 4.2.3 "Agent Management and Removal").

3. University of California, Berkeley - Information Security Office, "Endpoint Protection Standard": University standards for managed endpoints require security software to have tamper-proofing enabled. The documented procedures for IT staff to remove such software consistently list "disabling tamper protection via the management console" as the mandatory first step. (UCB ISO, Endpoint Security Policy, Section 5.4 "Agent Uninstallation").