Windows 10 update breaks critical browser security feature
Microsoft isn’t a newcomer or novice in the tech industry. It’s been around the block for decades and has some of the most prolific software designers working under its wing. So why on earth does this company keep screwing up software updates every single time!?
At least once per month since the year began, news arrives of a Microsoft update either causing bugs or breaking a critical feature in Windows 10. Tap or click here to see what the last faulty update ruined.
But now, Microsoft’s updates are buggy enough that they’re not just breaking Windows features, they’re messing up other programs, too! Chromium, the engine that powers the web’s most popular browsers, suffers a major security flaw when the latest Windows update is installed. The worst part: The fix causes your files to delete themselves!
Between a rock and a hard place
Microsoft has done it again! Rather than take the time to deliver a stable update free of security bugs, the company announced it had found a flaw in Windows 10 update 1903 that breaks the security features of Chromium, the backbone of web browsers like Google Chrome, Firefox and even Microsoft Edge (the pre-installed browser).
Just to clarify, this update is different from the highly anticipated May 2020 update, which is numbered as version 1904. That update has seen positive early test results from beta users and may offer fixes for several bugs like this one. Tap or click here to find out if the May 2020 upgrade is worth using.
As bad as this bug is, the fix for it might actually make matters worse. The only patch for the issue can cause a completely different set of problems.
To address the flaw, which can allow malicious files to spread from your browser and infect your PC, Microsoft has delivered a patch — Windows 10 KB4549951. Once this patch was installed by users, however, several reported their files went missing or appeared to delete themselves.
In other words, Windows users have a choice: Fix a dangerous security issue and risk deleting your personal files or live with a less-secure web browsing experience. What a mess!
What’s the best course of action here?
At this point in time, neither fix looks particularly appetizing. The folks who’ve lost files don’t have any way of getting them back short of restoring from a backup, so if you haven’t done one recently, we wouldn’t advise trying this option.
Alternatively, you could just wait it out until the May 2020 update arrives in a matter of weeks. This update will include numerous bug and security fixes, and may even increase the speed of several older computers with mechanical hard drives. No official release date is set for this, but we can’t imagine it getting delayed beyond the end of the month.
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