This is another one of those updates that makes you wonder what the QA process looks like at Microsoft. Their push to strengthen cryptography (moving from CSP to KSP) is the right idea, but the execution in KB5066835 is a mess. It's effectively a self-inflicted DDoS attack. When a security patch breaks critical smart card authentication, it forces high-security orgs into a terrible choice: roll back the patch or break the business. And breaking the mouse and keyboard in the recovery environment is just salt in the wound.
TL;DR
🧠 The Goal: Move from the older Cryptographic Services Provider (CSP) to the more secure Key Storage Provider (KSP).
⚠️ The Reality: The update is breaking smart card authentication, which is critical for government, defense, and banking.
💻 The Collateral: It's also killing IIS website connections (even localhost) and making USB devices fail in WinRE.
🔧 The "Fix": A combination of messy registry edits and out-of-band patches, with a hard deadline in 2026 when the registry workaround disappears.
https://www.computerworld.com/article/4075977/security-patch-or-self-inflicted-ddos-microsoft-update-knocks-out-key-enterprise-functions.html
#WindowsUpdate #PatchManagement #Cybersecurity #ITOperations #security #privacy #cloud #infosec #PatchTuesday #Fail