Microsoft patches Windows flaw that broke Wi-Fi hotspots

Microsoft has released an emergency update to fix a couple of bugs it accidentally introduced through a regular Windows update.

On June 14, the company released KB5014697, a cumulative update that addresses a number of known Windows issues. However, the patch also introduced new flaws, namely issues with the sign-in process for Azure Active Directory, as well as Microsoft 365 on Arm devices.

Furthermore, the patch broke the Wi-Fi hotspot feature on some devices, and made some .NET apps fail to open.

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Now, the out-of-band (OOB) update fixes the issue for both Windows 10, and Windows 11 devices. It will be automatically downloaded and installed via Windows Update, but users can also do it manually via the Update Catalog, it was said.

Fixes and mitigations

“Addresses a known issue that only affects Windows Arm-based devices and might prevent you from signing in using Azure Active Directory (AAD),” Microsoft said in its advisory. “Apps and services that use AAD to sign in, such as VPN connections, Microsoft Teams, and Microsoft Outlook, might also be affected.”

One version of Windows 11 (21H2), and three versions of Windows 10 (21H2, 21H1, and 20H2), were fixed.

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“This OOB update is cumulative. If you are using updates released before June 14, 2022, we recommend that you install this OOB update instead of the June 14, 2022 security update,” the company further explains. “If you installed earlier updates, only the new updates contained in this package will be downloaded and installed on your device.”

As usual, system admins that are unable to patch that fast can apply a workaround – switching to the web versions for some of the apps.

“To mitigate the issue, you can use the web versions of the affected apps, such as OneDrive, Microsoft Teams, and Outlook.com,” Microsoft said.

For the .NET Framework issues, Microsoft recommends re-enabling the tool, while for Wi-Fi, the company suggests disabling the Wi-Fi hotspot feature.

Via: BleepingComputer