Microsoft Releases Unscheduled Updates for Windows Server 2022 and Windows 10

Microsoft has issued unscheduled updates for both Windows Server 2022 and Windows 10, aimed at resolving specific issues related to Hyper-V and BitLocker. These updates were released outside of the typical update schedule, addressing certain errors that emerged following the security updates from the May Patch Day.

Over the weekend, Microsoft announced an unexpected update for Windows Server 2022. According to a statement in the Windows Message Center, certain confidential virtual machines operating on Hyper-V within Windows Server 2022 may become unresponsive or fail to restart unexpectedly. This situation can significantly impact service availability, necessitating manual intervention. The update primarily affects Azure Confidential VMs, while standard Hyper-V environments are generally not considered at risk, except in rare instances involving preview or pre-production configurations.

The update, labeled KB5061906, raises the operating system version to 20348.3695 and is accessible solely through the Windows Update Catalog. Microsoft classifies this as a non-security update. The company also recommends applying this update if the May security updates have not yet been installed. However, users who are not experiencing the outlined issues do not need to implement this unscheduled update.

Earlier in the same week, Microsoft developers released another unscheduled update designed to fix problems associated with specific Intel vPro processors, particularly when Trusted Execution Technology (TXT) is enabled, along with issues related to BitLocker. As noted in the Windows Message Center, the May security update can unexpectedly terminate the 'lsass.exe' process in this context, triggering the automatic repair function. For devices using BitLocker encryption, this can result in a prompt requiring the BitLocker recovery key.

The knowledge base entry KB5061768 details the unscheduled update for Windows 10, which addresses this specific issue. It updates Windows 10 versions to 19044.5856 and 19045.5856, applicable for Windows 10 21H2 and 22H2, including the Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2021 and Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021 editions. Like the update for Windows Server 2022, this release is also available exclusively through the Windows Update Catalog. Given that Intel vPro is less commonly found in environments using Windows Home or Pro versions, these are likely not affected by the issue. Microsoft's developers noted that organizations where the problem does not occur do not need to install this update.

Unscheduled updates outside the normal update timelines have become more frequent at Microsoft recently. In mid-April, the company released a similar fix addressing a display issue related to the status of certain group policies.