Microsoft has swiftly responded to a critical issue affecting how logon and logoff events are reported in Windows environments governed by Active Directory Group Policies. The company issued emergency, out-of-band (OOB) updates to fix a glitch that could mislead administrators by showing that auditing is disabled, even when it’s functioning correctly. This bug, though subtle, could create confusion or hinder security investigations if left unresolved.
The issue
Key Takeaways from the Update (Approx. )
- Microsoft Identifies a Bug: A glitch was found in how audit policies are visually represented in Local Group Policy on Windows devices using Active Directory.
- False Reporting: Devices may falsely report that āAudit logon eventsā are disabled, even when they are active and functioning.
– Where
- Security Relevance: These logs are essential for security operationsātracking user activity, detecting unauthorized access, and maintaining compliance.
- Emergency Updates Released: Microsoft has issued immediate updates outside the regular update cycle (OOB releases).
- Targeted Systems: Updates were released for several Windows versions including:
– Windows 11 (23H2 and 22H2) ā KB5058919
– Windows Server 2022 ā KB5058920
- Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2019 & Server 2019 ā KB5058922
- Windows 10 LTSB 2016 & Server 2016 ā KB5058921
– Azure Stack HCI, version 22H2 ā KB5058920
- Download Access: These updates are only available via the Microsoft Update Catalog and must be manually installed.
- Not for Everyone: Home users are largely unaffected, as logon auditing is predominantly used in enterprise and domain-managed systems.
- Cumulative Updates: These patches include all prior fixes, eliminating the need to install previous updates.
– Additional Issues Reported:
- Some domain controllers on Windows Server 2025 might fail to restart properly, causing system-wide service failures.
- April 2025 security updates led to crashes in Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook for Office 2016.
- Windows Hello authentication issues were reported after recent security patches.
What Undercode Say:
(Approx. 40 Lines of Analysis)
The recent out-of-band patching by Microsoft signals just how sensitive enterprise-level auditing has become in the evolving cybersecurity landscape. Although this issue doesn’t directly interrupt the logging mechanism, its real-world implications are far from minor. Imagine a security analyst
References:
Reported By: www.bleepingcomputer.com
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