Microsoft has finally published a support document detailing its workaround for the August 2020 Patch Tuesday update for Windows 10 version 2004 that caused blue screens of deaths (BSODs) on newer Lenovo ThinkPads and broke Windows Hello biometric login.
Users started reporting issues
after the cumulative August update KB566782 for Windows 10 version 2004 and affected Lenovo ThinkPads made in 2019 and 2020. However, Microsoft notes that the issue actually appeared in the
July 31, 2020 KB4568831 (OS Build 19041.423) Preview.
Lenovo offered a workaround that involved disabling the Enhanced Windows Biometric Security setting in BIOS Setup in the security and virtualization settings section.
The issue occurred when Lenovo's Vantage app for updating hardware drivers attempted to use the Intel Management Engine to interface with firmware, which got blocked by the BIOS setting in the security update.
Microsoft has now published a detailed rundown of the bug, its symptoms, cause and its workaround. It's the same as Lenovo's earlier workaround but comes with a stern security warning from Microsoft. Microsoft also explains how Lenovo Vantage violates Microsoft's security controls in Windows.
Users might bypass the BSOD screen, but they are endangering their computers by implementing the workaround, according to Microsoft.