The March Patch Tuesday OS security updates followed a pattern that is somewhat familiar: they introduced a problem, as is often the case. This time, the issue revolved around the Windows Security app, where Microsoft Defender started erroneously reporting that the Local Security Authority (LSA) protection had been disabled. As reported by Neowin, this problem impacted both Windows 11 versions, namely 22H2 and 21H2.
The company stated:
After installing “Update for Microsoft Defender Antivirus antimalware platform – KB5007651 (Version 1.0.2302.21002)”, you might receive a security notification or warning stating that “Local Security protection is off. Your device may be vulnerable.” and once protections are enabled, your Windows device might persistently prompt that a restart is required. Important: This issue affects only “Update for Microsoft Defender Antivirus antimalware platform – KB5007651 (Version 1.0.2302.21002)”. All other Windows updates released on March 14, 2023 for affected platforms (KB5023706 and KB5023698), do not cause this issue.
While some updates are getting worked on, others are stuck upon mere investigations, like Outlook.com search issues and 401 errors.
Moving on, at the time when the bug was under investigation, Microsoft offered a temporary workaround for the issue. After a month had elapsed, the company declared that it had successfully resolved the problem. The recommended solution was to update to Defender version 1.0.2303.27001.
Unfortunately, Microsoft’s triumph over the issue turned out to be short-lived. Today, the tech giant updated the Windows health dashboard issues section, asserting that the problem of LSA being erroneously reported as off has been ultimately resolved.
According to Microsoft, the recommended version for resolving the issue is Defender version 1.0.2306.10002. To address the problem, simply update the Windows Security app to its latest version using the Windows Update feature. Microsoft states the following regarding the solution:
Resolution: This issue was resolved in an update for Windows Security platform antimalware platform KB5007651 (Version 1.0.2306.10002). If you would like to install the update before it is installed automatically, you will need to check for updates.