Microsoft Acknowledges Network Issues in Domain Controllers and Windows 11 Crashes

Microsoft has confirmed the emergence of new issues associated with its recent Windows updates, impacting both server and desktop operating systems. Administrators and users have reported various complications following the installation of the latest security patches.

According to information released in the Windows Release Health Center for Windows Server 2025, domain controllers (DC) are experiencing difficulties in managing network traffic post-reboot. This malfunction means that Windows Server 2025 DCs might become unreachable within the domain network or may incorrectly respond via network ports and protocols that should be restricted by the domain firewall profile.

The root cause of the issue lies in the failure of the domain firewall profile on the domain controllers after they are restarted. Instead of utilizing the intended domain firewall settings, the default firewall profile takes precedence. Consequently, applications and services running on the DC or on devices within the network may fail or become inaccessible. Microsoft has proposed a temporary workaround, advising IT administrators to restart the network adapter to restore the expected functionality. This can be accomplished using the PowerShell command Restart-NetAdapter *. Until a permanent solution is found, this step will need to be repeated after each affected DC reboot. Additionally, Microsoft suggests setting up a scheduled task to automate this process following a DC restart.

However, issues are not confined to servers alone; users of Windows 11 are also encountering problems after applying the latest security updates. Microsoft noted that the installation process creates a directory at %systemdrive%\inetpub--typically c:\inetpub. The company clarified that this folder should remain intact, regardless of whether the Internet Information Services (IIS) are enabled on the target device. This behavior is part of an initiative to enhance security and does not necessitate action from IT administrators or end users. The patch responsible for this change addresses a privilege escalation vulnerability in Windows (CVE-2025-21204, CVSS score of 7.8, classified as 'high risk').

Another significant concern has been identified, primarily documented in the English language release notes for Windows 11 version 24H2. Users may experience a Blue Screen of Death (BSoD) upon restarting their systems after the updates. This error is associated with a SECURE_KERNEL_ERROR indicated by the error code 0x18B. In response to this, Microsoft has initiated the Known Issue Rollback (KIR) process, which will automatically remove the problematic update components from non-managed and customer devices within 24 hours.

Microsoft's recent updates have been fraught with issues, leading the company to issue an out-of-band update last weekend to rectify display errors related to group policy status.