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The new Windows 10 update might render older drivers incompatible

The new Windows 10 update might render older drivers incompatible

This week, a cumulative Windows 10 update was released to fix some issues concerning security. However, it may be causing incompatibility issues with some versions of legitimate drivers.

Microsoft’s change as part of the KB4579311 is to ensure that the verification standard in Windows 10 for driver software is top-notch. This update is geared at minimizing the chances of malware abusing vulnerable or outdated drivers to compromise systems.

Windows 10 will stop users from installing driver updates if the OS cannot verify the publisher. It will display two error messages whenever this happens.

What do you do if your driver doesn’t install?

First, the users will be told that Windows 10 cannot verify the driver, and second, there was no signature in the subject. The errors suggest that Windows 10 did not recognize the formatted catalog file used in driver validation. Consequently, the installation will not go through.

Even though this was done for the better and with good intentions, there was some oversight. The higher standards could potentially affect legitimate software, and older versions of some legitimate drivers may not pass the new checks.

Fixes and patches

If users encounter this problem, Microsoft advises that they should contact the software maker or driver manufacturer. The only way to go around this glitch is to have the manufacturer re-upload the driver or release a more updated version of the current software.

Microsoft’s latest routine patch contained up to 87 security fixes and around 11 fixes for critical vulnerabilities. Included in this round of updates was a fix for a ‘wormable’ remote code execution flaw affecting TCP/IP components in Windows 10 and Windows Server 2019. It has a severity rating of 9.8 on the CVSS scale.

Also read: Microsoft has lost its grip on the Windows 10 update process