Microsoft has moved quickly to address a problem with Windows VPN connections. The issue, affecting both Windows 11 and Windows 10, can be traced back to last week’s monthly security patches. An official update is now available for all users.
Both Windows 11 version KB5009566 and Windows 10 version KB5009543 were released as planned on the second Tuesday of the month, known informally as ‘Patch Tuesday’. These updates fix existing security issues, but create several new ones at the same time.
Among them is an inability to connect to VPNs using the popular L2TP protocol and Windows Server Domain Controllers restarting unexpectedly. Access to external drives using Microsoft’s Resilient File System (ReFS) was also affected.
Microsoft’s patch arrived a week after those initial updates, but many IT admins already chose to roll back their network to the previous version. In order to get the new version, they’ll first have to install the buggy update, risking a recurrence of these problems.
Still, it’s probably a risk worth taking – the latest patch is the most secure version of Windows and no further issues have been reported so far.
How to download the latest Windows patch
Provided you’ve already installed either of the affected updates, the patch will be available within Settings as usual. In Windows 10, head to Update & Security > Windows Update. It’s even easier in Windows 11, with a Windows Update section accessible directly from the left pane.
If it’s not appearing for you there, the patch is also available via the Microsoft website. Just make sure you download the right update for the version of Windows you’re running. Whichever method you use, a restart after installing should mean everything is working properly again.
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Author: Anyron Copeman, Senior Staff Writer
As the resident expert on Windows, Senior Staff Writer Anyron’s main focus is PCs and laptops. Much of the rest of his time is split between smartphones, tablets and audio, with a particular focus on Android devices.