Windows 11 update breaks Chrome for some antivirus users
Microsoft’s latest Windows 11 cumulative update breaks the Google Chrome browser on systems protected by a range of software, including Cisco, WatchGuard EDR, and Malwarebytes.
According to Bleeping Computer, Windows admins and users have reported issues launching the browser after installing the KB5027231 update.
While it should be possible to resolve the issue by uninstalling the update, some admins have reported that this is impossible via Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) due to a “catastrophic error”.
“Rolled KB5027231 to a bunch of users, and I have Chrome broken everywhere,” one Windows admin said on Reddit.
“Attempting to rollback via wusa[.exe — the standalone Windows update installer utility] shows a ‘catastrophic error’ in the Event Viewer, and WSUS shows I cannot roll this back.”
Last week, Malwarebytes confirmed that the issue affects customers using its anti-malware products. It said an anti-exploit module issue was to blame and advised that users disable Chrome as a protected app.
“On June 13, 2023, Microsoft’s KB5027231 update installed on Windows 11 caused a conflict between Google Chrome and exploit protection, resulting in browser crashes,” it said.
While affected users never see the Google Chrome interface after launching the app, the process runs in the background but won’t load fully due to the conflict.
WatchGuard and Cisco Secure Endpoint users have also started reporting that Chrome won’t launch after installing the update.
“We deploy Secure Endpoint 8.1.7 to our few thousand devices, and we started getting a mountain of reports this morning that Google Chrome would not appear on the screen after attempting to open it,” one admin said.
“With a little trial & error, I found that killing the Secure Endpoint service or uninstalling Secure Endpoint will allow Chrome to open again.”
It appears as though Cisco Secure Endpoint has a similar issue to that of Malwarebytes, with the Exploit Protection engine blocking Google Chrome from launching.
WatchGuard confirmed the issue on Friday, 15 June 2023.
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