August 2019 Updates: Issues with VB6, VBA and VBScript

[German]As of August 2019, Microsoft will cut VBScript support in Internet Explorer. Now there are problems with the Windows security updates from August 2019 in connection with Visual Basic (VB6, VBA and VBScript).

Sometimes things are 'laying in the air'. I had already intended yesterday to write a blog post about the end of VBScript support in Internet Explorer – just a reminder to admins, if VBScript suddenly causes issues after August Patchday. Then I got a mail from blog reader Jan V. with a hint about Visual Basic issues (thanks for that). So here is a short list of what you should know.

Internet Explorer restricts VBscript use

I had mentioned it in early August 2019 in the blog post Microsoft deactivates VBScript in IE as of August 2019, Microsoft discontinued support for VBscript in Internet Explorer for Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 for Web Zones.

The change to disable VBScript will take effect in the upcoming cumulative updates for Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 on August 13, 2019. VBScript is disabled by default for Internet Explorer 11 and WebOCs for Internet and Untrusted Zones on all platforms with Internet Explorer 11.

For Windows 10, this has been the case since July 9, 2019. Everything concerning unsafe content (Internet zone, WebOCs) can no longer run VBscript in the browser by default.

Also VBA, VB6, VBScript affected

But there seems to be something else happening at the August 2019 patchday. Because there is a bigger impact from the updates. Blog reader Jan V. wrote me about it:

August patchday has potential for issues with VB6, VBA, VBS based applications..

Jan referred me to the support article for KB4512488 (Monthly Rollup for Windows 8.1/Server 2012 R2). There Microsoft has made the following addition since the first release:

After installing this update, applications that were made using Visual Basic 6 (VB6), macros using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), and scripts or apps using Visual Basic Scripting Edition (VBScript) may stop responding and you may receive an "invalid procedure call§ error.

Microsoft is presently investigating this issue and will provide an update when available.

After the installation there are issues when using Visual Basic 6 (VB6), macros with Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) and scripts or applications that use Visual Basic Scripting Edition (VBScript). The programs suddenly stop responding and there is an invalid procedure call error.

A German reader left a comment to my German blog post: The problem occurs when assigning arrays to VARIANT variables. Then the program crashes with Error 5. Another reader left a comment: It seems to me that only applications that use ParamArrays in a certain way are affected.

Anyway, this does not only affect KB4512488 for Windows 8.1. Jan had XenApps affected.  According to the 'known issues' in the KB articles, the following updates are affected:

• KB4512486, KB4512506 for Windows 7 an Windows Server 2008 R2
• KB4512488, KB4512489 for Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2
• KB4512497 for Windows 10 (1507)
• KB4512517 for Windows 10 (1607) and Windows Server 2016
• KB4512507 for Windows 10 (1703)
• KB4512516 for Windows 10 (1709)
• KB4512501 for Windows 10 (1803)
• KB4511553 for Windows 10 (1809) and Windows Server 2019
• KB4512508 for Windows 10 (1903) and Windows Server 1903

This means that practically all Windows versions are affected. Jan wrote to me: "We currently have two ivanti/RES consoles for the Automation Manager and the Workspace Manager. Any other of you who are affected?

Addendum: Microsoft has begun to release updates to fix this issue – see my blog-post Fix for VB6, VBA, VBScript bug? for further details.