Microsoft’s latest Windows security updates may break your VPN

Microsoft says April security updates for Windows may break your VPN. (What now!) “Windows devices may experience VPN connection issues after installing the April 2024 Security Update (KB5036893) or the non-security April 2024 Preview Update” , the company wrote in a status update. A correction is being worked on.

A glowing computer first reported the issue that affects Windows 11, Windows 10, and Windows Server 2008 and later versions. User reports on Reddit are mixed, with some commenters saying their VPNs still work after installing the update, and others claiming their encrypted connections were indeed broken.

“We are working on a solution and will provide an update in an upcoming release,” Microsoft wrote.

There is no proper solution until Microsoft releases an update with a fix. However, you can work around the problem by uninstalling all security updates. In an unfortunate time for CEO Satya Nadella, he said last week that it wants Microsoft to put “security first.” I can’t imagine making customers (temporarily) choose between going VPN-free and losing the latest protection is what he meant.

At least one Redditor claims that uninstalling and reinstalling their VPN app fixed the issue for them, so it might be worth trying that before going to more drastic measures.

If you decide to uninstall security updates, Microsoft tells you how. “To remove the LCU after installing the combined SSU and LCU package, use the DISM /Remove-Package command-line option with the LCU package name as the argument,” the company wrote in its patch notes. “You can find the package name using this command: DISM /online /get-packages.”