Microsoft is blocking the latest cumulative update for users with third-party antiviruses

A couple of weeks back, we reported that the latest Patch Tuesday update is causing Windows devices to freeze. At that point, there was very little information available as to what exactly was the problem. Now, Microsoft has updated its support page which confirms the issue is faced by users who have third-party antiviruses installed.

According to Microsoft’s support page, users with Sophos, Avira, ArcaBit, Avast, and McAfee are facing issues logging into their devices. The problem affects Windows 7, 8.1, Server 2008 R2, Server 2012, Server 2012 R2 and Windows 10. The good news is that the PCs can still be booted into safe mode so users can just disable the antivirus until a fix is released. Avast has released its own take on the problem and the company recommends leaving systems at the login screen for about 15 minutes and then rebooting. McAfee has provided an insight into what might be the problem. According to them, the root cause appears to be a change made by Microsoft in the CSRSS (“client/server runtime subsystem”), a core component of Windows that coordinates and manages Win32 applications. This is reportedly making the antivirus software deadlock.

Since the issue comes from the antivirus side, we expect the vendors to release a patch to fix the issue. In the meantime, Microsoft has blocked the updates from downloading on PCs that have the above-mentioned antiviruses installed. However, if you have already installed the latest update then you can boot the computer into Safe Mode and disable the antivirus to fix the issue. The latest issue is just another example of why you shouldn’t rely on third-party antiviruses and use Microsoft’s native Windows Defender antivirus that comes with Windows 10.

Via: Arstechnica