Microsoft has announced that it is currently investigating a strange bug in the Windows operating system that causes app shortcuts to disappear from the Start menu and taskbar. This issue was reported by several IT administrators on Twitter and on Reddit. It appears to be related to a recent update to Microsoft Defender’s built-in security tool.
The issue affects systems that use Microsoft 365 Office Services and Defender to protect against malware, viruses, and other threats. These are predominantly Microsoft corporate customers (enterprises and organizations) who have already sent reports to the company that a certain attack surface reduction rule (ASR) is causing the problem. At the moment, administrators are trying to work around the bug by configuring the “Block Win32 API calls from Office macros” rule for audit only. Some joke that Friday the 13th is to blame, and users are advised to launch applications manually through File Explorer by searching for the location of a particular program in response to user complaints.
This strange error does not affect normal Windows users, it only affects corporate clients and systems within organizations, which are hundreds or thousands of computers that rely on Microsoft security tools.
Source: Trash Box
Charles Grill is a tech-savvy writer with over 3 years of experience in the field. He writes on a variety of technology-related topics and has a strong focus on the latest advancements in the industry. He is connected with several online news websites and is currently contributing to a technology-focused platform.
