Recently, Microsoft found itself grappling with a significant global outage linked to the CrowdStrike Falcon issue, which rendered millions of users unable to access their systems. The repercussions of this incident rippled through various sectors, impacting the share market, banking industry, civil aviation, and even healthcare. Just as the tech giant was navigating the aftermath of this disruption, it encountered another hurdle. A newly released security update did not unfold as intended, leading to complaints from users who reported disconnections occurring every 30 minutes after installing the patch.
In response to these concerns, Microsoft acknowledged that certain Windows Server users might experience challenges with Remote Desktop Connectivity. Specifically, users have reported losing their logon sessions, resulting in widespread disconnections at regular intervals.
Cause Of The Issue & Its Aftermath
The root of the problem lies in the security updates rolled out in July, which inadvertently disrupted remote desktop connections for organizations utilizing Windows servers configured to employ the legacy RPC over HTTP protocol within the Remote Desktop Gateway. Frustrated Microsoft Windows users took to Reddit to voice their grievances, detailing experiences of “random mass disconnects throughout the day” following the application of the patch on Windows 2019 servers. Many reported that their systems were “crashing roughly every 30 minutes.” In a statement, Microsoft confirmed, “Windows Servers might affect Remote Desktop Connectivity across an organization if legacy protocol (Remote Procedure Call over HTTP) is used in Remote Desktop Gateway. Resulting from this, remote desktop connections might be interrupted. This issue might occur intermittently, such as repeating every 30 minutes.”
Impacted Windows Servers
The security updates that triggered these issues affect several Windows Server releases, including:
- Windows Server 2022 (KB5040437)
- Windows Server 2019 (KB5040430)
- Windows Server 2016 (KB5040434)
- Windows Server 2012 R2 (KB5040456)
- Windows Server 2012 (KB5040485)
How To Fix This
While Microsoft is actively working on a solution, the company has provided interim workarounds for affected users. One recommendation is to disallow connections over “pipe and port pipeRpcProxy3388 through the RD Gateway,” which can be managed using firewall software. Additionally, users may consider modifying the registry on client devices by deleting the RDGClientTransport key. Microsoft advises backing up the registry prior to making any changes to ensure a clear restoration path if needed.
