14 DAY TRIAL // The Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 monthly rolllups, along with their security-only updates, shipped as part of the April 2019 Patch Tuesday could cause some systems to freeze if certain antivirus software is installed.
The Windows 7/Windows Server 2008 R2 monthly rollup is KB4493472, while the security-only update is KB4493448. Windows 8.1/Windows Server 2012 R2 devices received monthly rollup KB4493446 and security-only update KB4493467.
Microsoft says all of them could cause devices to freeze if the Sophos antivirus is installed.
“Microsoft and Sophos have identified an issue on devices with Sophos Endpoint Protection installed and managed by either Sophos Central or Sophos Enterprise Console (SEC) that may cause the system to freeze or hang upon restart after installing this update,” the company notes.
Microsoft already blocked the updates
As a result, devices where the impacted security products are installed are no longer offered the new monthly rollups or the associated security-only updates.
“Microsoft has temporarily blocked devices from receiving this update if the Sophos Endpoint is installed until a solution is available,” the software giant says.
According to Sophos, the issue impacts Sophos Endpoint Security and Control and Sophos Central Endpoint Standard/Advanced, and for the time being, no workaround seems to exist. The only solution is to uninstall the updates mentioned above, after which they are automatically blocked thanks to Microsoft’s new restriction.
Sophos recommends users to boot into safe mode, disable the Sophos Anti-Virus service and then boot back into normal mode to uninstall the update. The antivirus can then be safely enabled in Windows.
Both Microsoft and Sophos are investigating the bug, but for the time being, there’s no ETA as to when a fix could be shipped. The next Patch Tuesday cycle when new monthly rollups are projected to be released takes place on May 14, but Microsoft could also ship an out-of-band fix in the meantime.