Microsoft releases Windows 7 (KB5016679) and Windows 8.1 (KB5016683) Patch Tuesday updates

Microsoft has released its Patch Tuesday updates for Windows 7 (KB5016679) and Windows 8.1 (KB5016683). They both contain pretty much the same improvements, however, the Windows 8.1 notes do not list any known issues. It’s important to note that only Windows 7 users who have purchased extended security update (ESU) support will receive the update.

Improvements (applies to Windows 7 and Windows 8.1)

This security-only update includes new improvements for the following issue:

  • Addresses an issue in which Speech and Network troubleshooters will not start.
  • Addresses an issue that might cause the Local Security Authority Server Service (LSASS) to leak tokens. This issue affects devices that have installed Windows updates dated June 14, 2022 or later. This issue occurs when the device performs a specific form of service for user (S4U) in a non-Trusted Computing Base (TCB) Windows service that runs as Network Service.
  • Enforces a hardening change that requires printers and scanners that use smart cards for authentication to have firmware that complies with section 3.2.1 of RFC 4556. If they do not comply, Active Directory domain controllers will not authenticate them. Mitigations that allowed non-compliant devices to authenticate will not exist after August 9, 2022. For more information about this change, see KB5005408.

For more information about the resolved security vulnerabilities, please refer to the Deployments | Security Update Guide and the August 2022 Security Updates.

Known issues in this update (Windows 7 only)

Symptom

Next step

After installing this update and restarting your device, you might receive the error, “Failure to configure Windows updates. Reverting Changes. Do not turn off your computer,” and the update might show as Failed in Update History.

This is expected in the following circumstances:

  • If you are installing this update on a device that is running an edition that is not supported for ESU. For a complete list of which editions are supported, see KB4497181.
  • If you do not have an ESU MAK add-on key installed and activated.
  • If you have purchased an ESU key and have encountered this issue, please verify you have applied all prerequisites and that your key is activated. For information on activation, please see this blog post. For information on the prerequisites, see the How to get this update section of this article.

This Windows 7 update is not available via Windows Update. The best way to get it would be to download it through the Microsoft Update Catalog. The Windows 8.1 update is also unavailable via Windows Update, but you can grab that via Microsoft Update Catalog too.

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