Tech specialists worry the worst in efforts to recuperate from the bug-laden launch of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint earlier this weekend after updates eliminated app icons and shortcuts from the desktop, taskbar, and Home windows 11 and 10 begin menu.
The replace despatched to customers on the morning of January 13 gave Home windows directors nightmares, forcing Microsoft to problem Superior Search Queries and a PowerShell script the subsequent day in an try to assist detect and recuperate functions.
In a publish on its Tech Neighborhood discussion board on January 14, Microsoft mentioned:
“Home windows Safety and Microsoft Defender for Endpoint clients might have skilled plenty of false constructive detections for the Assault Floor Decision (ASR) rule ‘Block Win32 API calls from Workplace macro’ after upgrading to builds safety intelligence between 1.381.2134.0 and 1.381.2163.0 These detections resulted within the elimination of information that matched the inaccurate detection logic, primarily affecting Home windows Shortcut (.lnk) information.”
There are literally thousands of directors around the globe now having to restore their environments, which is having a big impact on productiveness.
Microsoft at the moment recommends clients replace to 1.381.2164.0 (the most recent up to date safety intelligence model) or later. It implies that the lockdown mode might be activated safely; nevertheless, a very powerful factor is that this not restore deleted information.
Those that didn’t have the “Block Win32 API name from Workplace macro” function turned on in block mode or didn’t replace to builds 1.381.2134.0, 1.381.2140.0, 1.381.2152, and 1.381.2163.0 weren’t seen affected by the issue. . Sources instructed us that Microsoft stopped the replace earlier than it reached customers in North America.
“Microsoft has confirmed the steps clients can take to recreate the beginning menu hyperlinks for a big subset of the affected apps that had been eliminated. These have been consolidated into the PowerShell script beneath to assist enterprise directors take restoration measures in your setting,” Home windows mentioned. large.
Model 1.1 of the script is offered right here, and directions for deploying the script with Microsoft InTune are right here.
IT professionals Registration The one who spoke to on situation of anonymity instructed us that Microsoft had screwed up right here and one mentioned that the supply of scripts was like “pissing within the wind.” Model 1 of the script has about 20 functions and model 1.1 has greater than 30.
“The overwhelming majority of app shortcuts folks use aren’t there. I can not see a approach Microsoft can recuperate, it is a everlasting elimination. They’ve carried out properly with this one.”
On the Microsoft Tech Neighborhood discussion board, an admin mentioned: “I think these hyperlinks have been misplaced indefinitely and we admins are going to need to deliver again the star menu, and customers must management each shortcut on the menu bar.” duties and fast launch manually.
“Who the heck launched that replace with out verifying the influence? There are literally thousands of directors around the globe who at the moment are having to restore their environments, which is having a big impact on productiveness.”
One other commenter on the discussion board mentioned that he doubted AHQ could be sufficient. “In our case, tons of of hyperlinks had been faraway from Workplace, however solely 16 confirmed up in superior search… How can I discover the whole lot that was blocked (and [by] Blocked I imply deleted?)”
Others ask for credit or some sort of compensation to pay for the “huge IT burden to repair it” manually and a few ask for a rollback function for Defender.
“I will eat my hat if Microsoft has an answer,” mentioned a struggling Home windows administrator. Register.
We requested Microsoft for touch upon Friday, and it has but to reply with a press release. ®
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Microsoft and community try to mitigate Defender ASR mess • The Register
