At the beginning of May, many internet users complained that their Windows machines were no longer able to establish VPN connections. Virtual networks used to run in a vacuum in the latest versions of Windows 10, Windows 11, and even Windows Server. A rather annoying bug for Internet users worried about their privacy and especially for companies that rely on this tool to offer secure access to their servers.
Windows 10 and Windows 11 are eligible
After acknowledging the problem without offering a technical solution (except for completely uninstalling the offending update with all the security patches it contains), Microsoft has finally deployed a patch. In the detailed patch notes on its website, the company explains that this patch “addresses a known issue that may cause the VPN connection to fail following the update dated April 9, 2024.”
The update is of course available for Windows 11 21H2 (KB5037770), 22H2 and 23H2 (KB5037771), but also for Windows 10 (which still has a few months of support) and for Windows Server from its 2008 SP2 (KB5037800) version.
This of course is not the only change brought by this update, as the system image also fixes important security flaws (including the one used to distribute the QakBot malware on Windows machines), but the bug fix remains the most visible change for users who are not very experienced in computer security.
How do I receive the update?
The update should be downloaded and installed automatically, resolving the issue on all affected computers. If you don’t want to wait, you can force the download by going to your computer’s Windows Update settings (Settings, Update & Security, Windows Update, Check for Updates).
For enterprise IT managers who can’t easily deploy updates, Microsoft still recommends uninstalling the April update altogether. However, you’ll need to go to the command line to do it properly and agree to remove security patches at the same time as the rest.