On Friday afternoon, Microsoft wrote that it had absolutely carried out a repair for a problem in Home windows that brought about app shortcuts to vanish from the Begin menu or taskbar. Extra IT admins detail the problem on Twitter and Reddit this morning, and Microsoft confirmed that it’s associated to a latest replace to Microsoft Defender menace detection.
The problem impacts companies and organizations that use Microsoft 365 and Defender for defense towards malware, viruses, and different threats. One note to customers, Microsoft stated it had acquired experiences sure Assault Floor Discount (ASR) rule was inflicting issues. Earlier within the day, IT admins tried to resolve the issue by setting the “Block Win32 API calls from Workplace macro” rule to audit solely.
Microsoft says it has “reversed the rule to stop additional influence whereas we examine additional.”
Nonetheless, it took hours for the repair to be rolled out earlier than Microsoft introduced it was absolutely launched at four:46 PM ET.
Subsequent steps: This situation is resolved in safety replace model 1.381.2164.zero. Putting in safety replace construct 1.381.2164.zero or later ought to forestall the issue, however won’t restore beforehand deleted shortcuts. You have to to recreate or restore these shortcuts by way of different strategies.
“This made for a nasty day,” says one IT Admin on Twitter, responding to Microsoft’s affirmation of the difficulty. “Blissful Friday the 13th!” joked another. IT directors scrambled to repair the issue and convey again the shortcuts, with many having to inform Home windows customers to manually launch their apps from the place they’re put in or utilizing Begin > Run and the identify of the executable.
Three IT directors at the moment experiencing the difficulty at their organizations confirmed that The Verge that every one the shortcuts are gone – and never simply those to Microsoft apps.
Common Home windows customers and shoppers aren’t affected by this unusual bug and it’ll solely have an effect on managed machines inside organizations. There are nonetheless a whole lot or 1000’s of machines inside giant corporations that depend on Microsoft’s menace detection safety.
We have reached out to Microsoft for remark and can replace you accordingly.
Replace, Jan. 13, eight:20 a.m. ET: Up to date article with extra info from Microsoft.
Replace, Jan. 13, 5:43 p.m. ET: Up to date article to notice the repair has been launched.
Replace, January 13, 6:32 PM ET: up to date article to notice that the repair doesn’t embody restoring deleted shortcuts, in response to Microsoft.