New Update Windows 11 KB5079473 - here's what's rolling out this Patch Tuesday

[Parkinsond]

[Windows Defender Application Control] Improved: This update improves how Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC) handles COM objects allowlisting policies.
COM objects were blocked when the endpoint security policy was set higher than the allowlisting policy.
With this update, COM objects are allowed as expected.

Windows 11's new Patch Tuesday update is one you'll actually want for once

Microsoft's March Patch Tuesday updates are rolling out on Windows 11, and this month there's some actually good improvements coming to enhance your PC.

www.windowscentral.com

March 10, 2026—KB5079473 (OS Builds 26200.8037 and 26100.8037) - Microsoft Support

support.microsoft.com

 

[Sorrento]

Installed OK here, took a little longer than usual no issues

 

[Parkinsond]

Installed OK here, took a little longer than usual no issues

Me too; there is a long changelog list, but I preferred to mention only the most security-related one, and to leave the full list for the original thread of Windows 11 updates.
I closely follow WDAC news, as I use it sometimes.

 

[n8chavez]

Installed OK here, took a little longer than usual no issues

Same here.

 

[lokamoka820]

Microsoft has released an out-of-band hotpatch update, KB5084597, to fix three remote code execution vulnerabilities in the Windows Routing and Remote Access Service (RRAS) management tool. The update targets Windows 11 Enterprise devices enrolled in the hotpatch program that did not receive the fixes through the standard March 2026 Patch Tuesday cumulative update.

The three vulnerabilities are tracked as CVE-2026-25172, CVE-2026-25173, and CVE-2026-26111. All three were addressed in the March 10 Patch Tuesday release for standard Windows 11 devices.

Microsoft Releases Emergency Windows 11 Hotpatch to Fix Remote Code Execution Flaw - gHacks Tech News

Microsoft has issued an out-of-band hotpatch update for Windows 11 Enterprise systems to fix a critical RRAS vulnerability without requiring a system reboot.

www.ghacks.net

 

[Bot]

Microsoft Releases Emergency Windows 11 Hotpatch to Fix Remote Code Execution Flaw - gHacks Tech News

Microsoft has issued an out-of-band hotpatch update for Windows 11 Enterprise systems to fix a critical RRAS vulnerability without requiring a system reboot.

www.ghacks.net

This looks like a targeted correction for a specific deployment group, not a separate new emergency for all Windows 11 users.

What KB5084597 appears to be

• It is an out-of-band hotpatch for Windows 11 Enterprise systems enrolled in Microsoft’s hotpatch program.
• The purpose seems to be to deliver fixes for three RRAS-related RCE vulnerabilities to devices that did not get them through the regular March 2026 cumulative update path.
• If a system already received the March 10 Patch Tuesday fixes normally, this hotpatch would generally not change anything for that device.

Important context

RRAS is not a component that most home users interact with, and the hotpatch program itself is aimed at managed enterprise environments. So for most forum members, this is mainly relevant if they are administering business systems under that update model.

Practical takeaway

• Home users and standard Windows 11 systems should primarily check whether the March 2026 cumulative update is already installed.
• Enterprise admins using hotpatch should verify whether affected devices were missing the RRAS fixes and whether KB5084597 is now being offered/applied.
• If there is any uncertainty, the safest route is to confirm directly in Windows Update, update history, and Microsoft’s official documentation rather than relying only on third-party reporting.

Bottom line

This does not read like a new broad zero-day situation for all Windows 11 machines. It looks more like Microsoft closing a gap for a subset of Enterprise hotpatch devices that missed fixes already shipped to the standard update channel.

Sources

• March 13, 2026—Hotpatch KB5084597 (OS Builds 26200.7982 and 26100.7982) Out-of-band - Microsoft Support
• Security Update Guide - Microsoft Security Response Center
• Security Update Guide - Microsoft Security Response Center
• Security Update Guide - Microsoft Security Response Center

 

[Brownie2019]

Microsoft says the March Windows 11 update breaks sign-ins with Microsoft accounts across multiple Microsoft apps, including Teams and OneDrive.

These sign-in issues appear after installing the KB5079473 cumulative update Microsoft released last week as part of this month's Patch Tuesday, and, according to a Windows release health dashboard update published on Wednesday, will trigger warnings that the impacted devices are not connected to the Internet.

The list of affected applications also includes Microsoft Edge, Excel, Word, and Microsoft 365 Copilot, which will display the same error message for features that require a Microsoft account sign-in.
"As a result of this issue, sign in attempts will display an error message with text similar to 'You'll need the Internet for this. It doesn't look like you're connected to the Internet.' This appears even if the device is connected to the Internet," Microsoft said.

"Please note that this issue occurs only with sign in operations involving Microsoft accounts, which are commonly used for Microsoft Teams Free. Businesses using Entra ID (previously known as Azure Active Directory) for app authentication will not be affected by this issue."

While working on a fix for this issue, Microsoft also provided a temporary workaround for those affected, which requires them to restart their PCs in the hope that the internet connectivity issues will resolve on their own.

"This issue occurs when the device enters a specific network connectivity state, and may resolve on its own. If you encounter this issue, restart the device while keeping it connected to the Internet. This should repair the device connectivity state and prevent the issue from occurring," Microsoft added.

"However, please note that if the device is restarted without an active internet connection, it might return to a connectivity state where the issue can occur again."

Since this month's Patch Tuesday Windows updates were released, Microsoft has also issued two emergency out-of-band (OOB) updates for hotpatch-enabled Windows 11 Enterprise devices that address a Bluetooth device visibility issue and several security flaws in the Routing and Remote Access Service (RRAS) management tool.

Microsoft has also shared guidance to fix C:\ drive access issues and app failures on some Samsung Windows 11 laptops, which are triggered by a buggy version of the Samsung Galaxy Connect (or Samsung Continuity Service) app.

 

[Bot]

That lines up with Microsoft’s current guidance: the problem appears to be with Microsoft account sign-ins after the March Windows 11 update, not with general internet connectivity.

What is affected

From the report you quoted, the issue can affect Microsoft account sign-ins in apps such as:

• Teams Free
• OneDrive
• Microsoft Edge features that require account sign-in
• Excel
• Word
• Microsoft 365 Copilot

The typical symptom is a false message saying the device is not connected to the internet, even when it actually is.

Important limitation

Microsoft says this affects Microsoft account authentication, not Entra ID/Azure AD business sign-ins. So this does not appear to be a broad outage for all Microsoft authentication methods.

Temporary workaround

The official workaround mentioned is simple:

• Keep the PC connected to the internet
• Restart the device
• Sign in again after Windows fully loads

The important detail is that the restart should be done while the system still has an active internet connection. If the machine is restarted offline, the bad connectivity state may return.

Practical takeaway

For affected home users, this looks more like a Windows update bug than a malware or local network problem.

A reasonable low-risk approach would be:

• Restart once or twice while connected to the internet
• Avoid unnecessary “fixes” like registry cleaners, network stack reset tools, or third-party optimizers
• Check Windows Release Health and Windows Update for Microsoft’s final fix

If the issue continues

If a restart does not help, the safest next steps are:

• Wait for Microsoft’s permanent fix
• Check the known issues entry in Microsoft’s Windows release health documentation
• If needed, report the issue through Feedback Hub or contact Microsoft support/forum staff if this is affecting account access seriously

Security perspective

Based on the description alone, this does not indicate malware. It appears to be an acknowledged Windows update issue with a temporary workaround already published by Microsoft.

Conclusion

At the moment, the most accurate reading is: this is a known Windows 11 update-related sign-in bug affecting some Microsoft account logins, and the only official workaround so far is restarting the PC while it remains connected to the internet.

 

[Halp2001]

The March update came with its own magic trick: Teams and OneDrive decide you don’t have Internet… right when you’re most connected. It’s as if Windows had learned to practice illusionism: the network disappears right before your eyes.