Microsoft rolls out out-of-band update for Windows 10 WPA3 bug causing blue screen crashes

The issue affects only a small number of users, according to the company

Microsoft has released an emergency, out-of-band update to address an issue with WPA3 connections in Windows 10 systems.

According to Microsoft, the bug in Windows 10 version 1909 causes devices to encounter a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) crash or stop error 0x7E in nwifi.sys when users try to use a Wi-Fi Protected Access 3 (WPA3) connection.

The problems started after users installed the Windows 10 1909 cumulative update KB4598298 (released on 21 January 2021) or KB4601315 update (released on 9 February 2021), Microsoft said.

The issue was reported by several users, and now Microsoft has released KB5001028 update to fix it.

The Windows maker said that users are more likely to experience the problem when they try to reconnect to a Wi-Fi network after disconnecting, or when waking from hibernation or sleep.

However, it added that the issue affects only a small number of users as most Wi-Fi networks currently use WPA2 connections.

The KB5001028 update is available for download via Windows Update, Microsoft Update, Windows Server Update Service (WSUS) and through Microsoft Update catalogue.

In addition to the out-of-band update, Microsoft is also recommending users to try the following mitigation steps, although they may not apply to all users:

• Update device to Windows 10, version 2004 or version 20H2
• Connect to a Wi-Fi network using WPA2, which may require users to reconfigure their router or access point settings
• Using a wired Ethernet connection rather than Wi-Fi to connect to internet

Microsoft also recommends users to install the latest servicing stack update (SSU) for their operating system before installing the latest cumulative update (LCU).

According to the company, SSUs improve the reliability of the update process to mitigate potential issues while installing the LCU and applying Microsoft security fixes.

Last month, Microsoft fixed a similar troublesome bug that forced reboots on some Windows 10 systems running the October 2020 Update.

The machines affected by the bug showed users a dialogue box, telling users that their PC would automatically restart in less than one minute because "Windows ran into a problem".

Microsoft confirmed the bug in November, revealing that it stemmed from issues with the Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS) on some PCs.

The software giant said that the problem occurred for users who had renamed local accounts when they were "interacting with any dialog window that lists users - for example accessing the sign-in options settings app page or the user's folder in the Local user and groups MMC snap-in".

At the time, Microsoft also released an upgrade block to stop vulnerable systems from updating to the October 2020 Update. It advised users to roll back to the previous version of Windows if they got the Blue Screen of Death error or forced reboot warning after sign in.

Last month, the firm said that it had lifted the "compatibility hold" to allow users to install the upcoming feature updates.