Windows 8.1 Update prevents interaction with WSUS 3.2 over SSL
There is a known issue which causes some PCs updated with the Windows 8.1 Update to stop scanning against Windows Server Update Services 3.0 Service Pack 2 (WSUS 3.0 SP2 or WSUS 3.2) servers which are configured to use SSL and have not enabled TLS 1.2.
Issue Description
The problem is specific to the following scenario when all of the following are true
- Client PC has installed Windows 8.1 Update
- Windows 8.1 with Windows 8.1 Update attempts to scan against WSUS 3.2 running on any affected platform:
- Windows Server 2003 SP2, or
- Windows Server 2003 R2 SP2, or
- Windows Server 2008 SP2, or
- Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1
- HTTPS and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) are enabled on the WSUS server
- TLS 1.2 is not enabled on the server
Only users who have enabled HTTPS and have not enabled TLS 1.2 on their WSUS 3.2 servers and who are also using these WSUS 3.2 servers to manage PCs running the Windows 8.1 Update are affected by this issue. Please note, while we do recommend the use of HTTPS on WSUS servers, HTTPS and TLS 1.2 are not enabled by default.
Workarounds
If you are using WSUS 3.2 on Windows Server 2008 R2, you may perform either of the following steps to restore the scan functionality if you have deployed the Windows 8.1 Update.
- Enable TLS 1.2 (follow the instructions under More Information > SCHANNELProtocols subkey), or
- Disable HTTPS on WSUS
If you are using WSUS on an operating system other than Windows Server 2008 R2, you may perform the following step to restore the scan functionality.
- Disable HTTPS on WSUS
When Microsoft releases an update that resolves the issue, you may re-enable HTTPS on WSUS.
Microsoft plans to issue an update as soon as possible that will correct the issue and restore the proper behavior for Windows 8.1 Update scanning against all supported WSUS configurations. Until that time, we are temporarily suspending the distribution of the Windows 8.1 Update to WSUS servers.
You may still obtain the Windows 8.1 Update from the Windows Update Catalog or MSDN. However, we recommend that you suspend deployment of this update in your organization until we release the update that resolves this issue. You may also find the workarounds discussed in this article to be useful for testing the Windows 8.1 Update for your organization. Thank you for your patience during this time.
The WSUS and Windows Update Teams