Microsoft warns MSMQ may fail after update, breaking apps

A security update issued on December Patch Tuesday changes the MSMQ security model, causing failures in programs ranging from POS systems to fire alarms.

A warning from Microsoft that a Windows patch issued last week may cause the Message Queuing (MSMQ) function in the operating system to malfunction could be behind multiple reports of internet of things (IoT) applications failing.

David Shipley, head of Canadian security awareness training provider Beauceron Security, says he saw a query on a Microsoft learning forum today asking if the MSMQ problem is behind the failure of a firm’s point of sale system to issue sales receipts.

Another person posted a query on a different Microsoft forum about a building in an unnamed city being without its fire alarm or smoke detector systems.

A link between these posts and the December 16 security update from Microsoft on the MSMQ issue couldn’t be confirmed. But Shipley said it is odd that Microsoft’s initial advice says that a workaround is available, but instead of detailing it, it urges admins to contact Microsoft Support For Businesses.

“The scariest words when it comes to a serious bug in Windows you’re trying to fix, that’s crashing your applications, is, ‘Call us,’” he said.

MSMQ is a protocol for secure messaging between applications, Shipley noted, so if there is a problem, “it’s going to break stuff.”

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