[German]Take care when installing the Windows updates from January 2025 in Citrix environments. Administrators must ensure that the Session Recordings (SR), if installed, are switched off before the update installation. There is a support article from Citrix with some advices on this problem. There are workarounds to install the January 2025 updates.
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Citrix Session Recordings (SR)
Session Recording for Citrix environments enables policies to automatically record application and desktop sessions. This is designed to enable IT staff to monitor and investigate user activity to support internal compliance and security monitoring controls.
Citrix Session Recordings (SR) prevents Windows Updates
However, the January 2025 updates for Windows collide with the Citrix Session Recordings (SR). Blog reader Froschkönig has reported problems in this German comment. To install the Windows updates on Citrix servers, installed and activated Session Recordings must be stopped and deactivated.
The Windows updates can then be installed and the Citrix Session Recordings (SR) subsequently reactivated and started. If this is ignored, the installation of Windows Updates in a Citrix virtualization environment will fail.
Microsoft has mentioned the Citrix problem in the support articles for the Windows Updates (e.g. KB5049981) in the Known Issues sections. The blog reader mentioned above referred in his comment to the Citrix support post Microsoft's January security update fails/reverts on a machine with 2411 Session Recording Agent. There it is confirmed that Microsoft's January 2025 security update for Windows fails/reverts on machines with Session Recording Agent version 2411.
In the relevant support article, Citrix provides two workarounds (via service manager services.msc and via PowerShell) to stop the Session Recording Agent during the update installation. Citrix is currently investigating the problem, it is currently unknown when a fix will be available. The Windows Update installation problem affects the following updates from January 14, 2025:
- Windows Server 2025: KB5050009
- Windows Server 2022/23H2: KB5049983
- Windows Server 2019: KB5050008
- Windows 11 24H2: KB5050009
- Windows 11 23H2/22H2: KB5050021
- Windows 10 22H2 (2022 Update): KB5049981
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Microsoft Security Update Summary (January 14, 2025)
Patchday: Windows 10/11 Updates (January 14, 2025)
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Patchday: Microsoft Office Updates (January 2025)
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Review: Windows Patchday issues January 2025
Windows 10/Server 2022: SgrmBroker service no longer starts after Jan. 2025 update (KB5049981)
Attention: Problems with Windows January 2025 updates and Citrix environments (session recordings)
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