This month, Microsoft quietly rolled out several updates, such as the KB5001716 to force update Windows computers, and WinRE update KB5041979 and installation update KB5041178 on Windows 11 24H2.
Alongside these, about a week ago, Microsoft also released a new Defender update for Windows Imaging Format (WIM) and VHD (Virtual Hard Disk) installation images, Windows 11, 10, and Servers, including Server 2016 , which will reach end of support next year.
They update:
- Windows 11
- Windows 10 (Enterprise, Pro, and Home editions)
- Windows Server 2022
- Windows Server 2019
- Windows Server 2016
This package is necessary as a Windows installation image may contain outdated anti-malware definitions and software binaries. In addition to better security, these updates provide improved performance in some cases.
Microsoft has therefore included the latest security definitions in Windows images via the Defender 1.413.494.0 update. In the support document describing the new update, Microsoft states:
The first few hours of a fresh Windows installation can leave the system vulnerable due to a Microsoft Defender protection gap. This is because the operating system installation images may contain outdated software binaries of the protection software.
