Microsoft’s latest monthly security update for Windows 11 seems to have caused VPN issues for some users. According to reports on forums and social media, the KB5036893 patch released on April 9th has broken VPN connections relying on TPM-backed certificates for a number of Windows 11 machines.
The issue appears to be triggering a “certificate could not be found” error when folks try accessing corporate networks or remote desktops through their virtual private networks (VPNs). One Reddit post detailed the problem, garnering several comments from others facing similar connectivity woes.
What’s Causing the Windows 11 VPN Issues?
It remains unclear precisely what change in the April update is responsible for the certificate validation glitches some VPN setups are experiencing. Microsoft acknowledges on its support page that VPN issues have been reported in conjunction with installing KB5036893. Engineers are investigating to find the root cause and develop a fix.
In the meantime, the only workarounds seem to be refraining from applying the patch or rolling back to the previous Windows 11 version if connectivity breaks. This is unfortunately familiar territory, as a previous update last year also led to VPN issues that required Microsoft to patch later on.
Microsoft Working on a Solution for Affected Windows 11 Users
For Windows 11 clients dealing with VPN issues post-update, the company says more information will be shared “in the coming days.” Most likely, this refers to releasing an out-of-band hotfix to resolve the problem, rather than waiting until the next Patch Tuesday cycle.
With many professionals and organizations dependent on reliable remote access, it’s important Microsoft acts swiftly to address any flaws disrupting VPN performance. Users will hope the next steps remedy the situation, avoiding a repeat of past update headaches. As details emerge, those impacted can only wait and see what solution Microsoft delivers.
