Synopsis
“The December’s Patch Tuesday updates to Microsoft products reportedly caused
connectivity issues for Windows users attempting to connect to Wi-Fi networks.”
Microsoft has issued a temporary solution to help Windows users experiencing Wi-Fi issues
after a Windows 11 update disrupted wireless connections on public, enterprise, and
education networks.
The December’s Patch Tuesday updates to Microsoft products reportedly caused
connectivity issues for Windows users attempting to connect to Wi-Fi networks.
On its website, Microsoft has stated that two OS updates from December’s Patch Tuesday –
KB5032288 and KB5033375 – were responsible for connectivity issues. Microsoft has
acknowledged that this issue has affected certain Wi-Fi networks more than others.
Fixing the Problem
Microsoft has resolved the issue by implementing a Known Issue Rollback (KIR), which will
cause the operating system to revert to a previous version of the code that does not have
the problem. This solution is similar to the one suggested by the university and many other
users who have already applied it.
In March 2021, Microsoft launched KIRs as a service to address non-security issues. A KIE
patch, however, is only a stopgap measure; the corporation has announced that it will re-
release a patch shortly, along with a more thorough solution.
Microsoft has advised that it may take up to 24 hours for the fix to automatically propagate
to non-managed business devices and consumer devices, but restarting the devices can
speed up the process.
For devices managed by an enterprise, the issue can be resolved by installing and
configuring a specific Group Policy. You can find this policy in “Computer Configuration ->
Administrative Templates -> <Group Policy name listed below>”.
Users Express Annoyance
Some users complained about having to undo Microsoft’s update themselves after the
company did not respond in a timely manner. They expressed their frustration on forums
like Reddit.