An update to Microsoft's anti-malware software for Windows XP has caused systems to crash in the latest issue for those running the ageing platform.
The first update to Microsoft's System Center Forefront Endpoint Protection since the Windows XP end of support date on 8 April, which we discuss in the video below, held a nasty payload in a bug that crashed the program, due to changes in the MPEngine dynamic link library.
Users of Microsoft Technet blamed malware, and suspicion also fell on Microsoft itself breaking compatibility after announcing it would no longer be responsible for ensuring it.
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Windows XP security update with bug error causes havoc
+54
+56I saw a bunch of people up in arms over this online. Glad to hear they got it resolved. On the plus side it does give people on XP a kick in the pants around upgrading 🙂
+62Yes but it's more money in Microsofts pockets and it's a tough world out there...but can't say we all weren't warned...I've got people who don't even know what operating system they are using...LOLs there.
+54Microsoft has issued a new antimalware engine and signatures to correct a bug which made systems running Microsoft Security Essentials, Forefront Client Security, Forefront Endpoint Protection, Windows Intune Endpoint Protection, and System Center Endpoint Protection unusable.
The bug, as described in this Microsoft support forum post, displayed the error "MsMpEng.exe application error. The instruction at "0x5a4d684d" referenced memory at "0x00000000" The memory could not be read" and proceeded very slowly or not at all.
The buggy update was shipped on April 15 and corrected later with a signature update which, Microsoft says, fixed the problem automatically. Users who have applied workarounds like disabling security features can re-enable the features after applying the signature update.
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The bug, as described in this Microsoft support forum post, displayed the error "MsMpEng.exe application error. The instruction at "0x5a4d684d" referenced memory at "0x00000000" The memory could not be read" and proceeded very slowly or not at all.
The buggy update was shipped on April 15 and corrected later with a signature update which, Microsoft says, fixed the problem automatically. Users who have applied workarounds like disabling security features can re-enable the features after applying the signature update.
Full Article
I think the buggy update was shipped on purpose as a tactic to persuade users to upgrade. As there are so many XP users currently, MS didn't want to push it too far and corrected it later.
+62Yes Amit, Sounds like one of there plans doesn't it but hard to believe that MS would do that...
I do not think MS shipped a buggy update on purpose. They have had a pretty spotty track record over the last year shipping buggy updates. In this case, there are still so many enterprise users with XP stations installed that an intentional buggy update would still cost Microsoft untold sums in the courts.
+62Yes yes that makes a lot of sense or more sense now...thanks for explaining that point of view...
Some more news about this issue ;)
Bug in Microsoft Security Essentials Crashes Windows XP Machines
by Robert Lemos
Microsoft pushed out a bad update to its Security Essentials software, crashing Windows XP machines and underscoring the fragility of the Windows XP ecosystem.
An update to Microsoft Security Essentials, the software company's free anti-malware software, crashed Windows XP computers last week, causing business disruptions to customers still relying on the outdated—and, in many cases, now-unsupported—operating system.
The update caused a variety of Microsoft operating systems to restart and then fail to reboot, displaying an arcane "MsMpEng.exe application error" message, according to online posts by affected users.
Many point-of-sale systems, which some businesses are protecting using Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) as a way to meet the antivirus requirement of the Payment Card Industry PCI), still use Windows XP or related operating systems, including Windows XP Professional for Embedded Systems and Windows Embedded POSReady 2009. Those systems were affected by the update as well, according to one New England value-added reseller with more than 500 clients in the hospitality industry.
While Microsoft corrected the issue within days, the bug crashed at least hundreds of machines. For the New England firm, the issue affected more than 250 machines at 50 customers who relied on the systems, a consultant at the company said on condition of anonymity.
"This affected about one half of our customers running Windows XP", he told eWEEK. "This brought their business to a 100 percent standstill until we could resolve the situation. In a pinch, the only solution we could determine was to uninstall MS Essentials to get them running their business again".
While uninstalling Microsoft Security Essentials worked around the issue, it also caused an additional problem: Even though Microsoft later fixed the update, MSE could not be reinstalled on Windows XP computers because the systems are no longer supported by Microsoft, the source said.
Full Article
Bug in Microsoft Security Essentials Crashes Windows XP Machines
by Robert Lemos
Microsoft pushed out a bad update to its Security Essentials software, crashing Windows XP machines and underscoring the fragility of the Windows XP ecosystem.
An update to Microsoft Security Essentials, the software company's free anti-malware software, crashed Windows XP computers last week, causing business disruptions to customers still relying on the outdated—and, in many cases, now-unsupported—operating system.
The update caused a variety of Microsoft operating systems to restart and then fail to reboot, displaying an arcane "MsMpEng.exe application error" message, according to online posts by affected users.
Many point-of-sale systems, which some businesses are protecting using Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) as a way to meet the antivirus requirement of the Payment Card Industry PCI), still use Windows XP or related operating systems, including Windows XP Professional for Embedded Systems and Windows Embedded POSReady 2009. Those systems were affected by the update as well, according to one New England value-added reseller with more than 500 clients in the hospitality industry.
While Microsoft corrected the issue within days, the bug crashed at least hundreds of machines. For the New England firm, the issue affected more than 250 machines at 50 customers who relied on the systems, a consultant at the company said on condition of anonymity.
"This affected about one half of our customers running Windows XP", he told eWEEK. "This brought their business to a 100 percent standstill until we could resolve the situation. In a pinch, the only solution we could determine was to uninstall MS Essentials to get them running their business again".
While uninstalling Microsoft Security Essentials worked around the issue, it also caused an additional problem: Even though Microsoft later fixed the update, MSE could not be reinstalled on Windows XP computers because the systems are no longer supported by Microsoft, the source said.
Full Article
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