Kaspersky denies it’s responsible for Windows 10 update fails as blame game commences

(Image credit: Kaspersky)

Microsoft has pulled a critical Windows 10 update that was causing installation issues, and while the update was supposed to fix a security issue with Kaspersky's Rescue Disk software, the security company is denying that it is the cause of the update's problem.

Windows 10 KB4524244 was supposed to fix a security vulnerability in the Kaspersky Rescue Disk software, which was publicly disclosed in April 2019. 

Although Kaspersky claimed it fixed the issue in August 2019, in February 2020 Microsoft released the Windows 10 KB4524244 update that revokes the UEFI signatures in a bid to “prevent attacks against Secure Boot using doctored previous versions of Kaspersky Rescue Disk” according to Kaspersky.

In classic Microsoft fashion, however, KB4524244 has been causing more issues than it fixes, with people reporting that their PCs no longer boot after installing the update, and Kaspersky is keen to highlight that it’s not to blame.

Radio silence

Kaspersky isn’t completely innocent in all this. After all, it did release a security tool with a glaring security vulnerability included, which is pretty much the last thing you’d want, but to be fair it fixed the problem back in 2019.

And, while the update Microsoft issued was to further protect against the issue (though a few months after the issue itself was fixed), it’s likely the problem lies with Microsoft and not Kaspersky. Considering Microsoft’s poor run of faulty Windows 10 updates, it’s easy to lay the blame at Microsoft’s feet.

There’s also the concerning revelation by Kaspersky that Microsoft did not contact the company about the update and the issue it was causing.

As Softpedia reports, the security company has said that “Microsoft has not reached out to Kaspersky concerning the update issue. After detailed internal analysis, our experts concluded that Kaspersky products have not been a cause of this issue.”

One of the biggest criticisms of how Microsoft is handing updates these days is its lack of communication and secrecy. If there was an issue with an update that concerns a particular bit of software, you’d have hoped that Microsoft would work with the software developer to come up with a fix. Frustratingly, that doesn’t seem to have happened.

As for Windows 10 KB4524244, this is now yet another update that Microsoft has had to pull due to problems. The update doesn’t look like it will be rereleased, either, with Softpedia saying that Microsoft will instead release bug fixes in a future update. Let’s hope that one isn’t riddled with problems as well.

Matt Hanson
Managing Editor, Core Tech

Matt is TechRadar's Managing Editor for Core Tech, looking after computing and mobile technology. Having written for a number of publications such as PC Plus, PC Format, T3 and Linux Format, there's no aspect of technology that Matt isn't passionate about, especially computing and PC gaming. Ever since he got an Amiga A500+ for Christmas in 1991, he's loved using (and playing on) computers, and will talk endlessly about how The Secret of Monkey Island is the best game ever made.