Microsoft has released two critical out-of-band (OOB) security patches targeting widespread issues affecting Windows 11 users following January’s monthly security updates.
The emergency patches, KB5078127 and KB5078132, address severe file system failures and application crashes that emerged after the January 13 security release.
The primary culprit behind these issues is unexpected complications introduced by KB5073455 and KB5074109.
When users installed these routine security patches on January 13, a cascade of problems began affecting cloud-based file storage operations.
Applications attempting to access or save files to OneDrive, Dropbox, and similar cloud storage services encountered critical errors, rendering them completely unresponsive.
Most concerning to enterprise users: Outlook configurations storing PST (Personal Storage Table) files on OneDrive became completely unusable.
The email client would hang indefinitely, refusing to reopen unless the process was forcibly terminated or the system was restarted.
Affected users also reported missing sent items and previously downloaded emails mysteriously reappearing for re-download a symptom indicating PST file corruption or synchronization failures.
Microsoft identified the root cause as a file system regression introduced during the January security updates.
Rather than waiting for February’s scheduled patch cycle, the company deployed emergency fixes approximately 11 days after the initial release, demonstrating the severity of the impact across the Windows 11 user base.
KB5078127 targets Windows 11 versions 25H2 and 24H2 (OS Builds 26200.7628 and 26100.7628), while KB5078132 addresses version 23H2 (OS Build 22631.6495).
Both patches are now available through Windows Update and the Microsoft Update Catalog.
Users with automatic updates enabled will receive these patches automatically; others must manually navigate to Settings > Windows Update to download and install the fix.
| Patch Number | Affected Windows 11 Versions | OS Build Numbers | Primary Issue Fixed | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KB5078127 | v25H2, v24H2 | 26200.7628, 26100.7628 | File system instability, Outlook PST freezing on OneDrive | KB5074109, KB5077744 |
| KB5078132 | v23H2 | 22631.6495 | Cloud storage file access errors, Outlook hang issues | KB5073455, KB5077797 |
A minor known issue exists in KB5078127: the password icon may appear missing from lock screen sign-in options on affected systems. Microsoft states this is a cosmetic issue and does not impact authentication functionality.
Enterprise administrators managing Windows 11 devices via Microsoft Intune or Windows Autopatch should expedite deployments by following platform-specific update acceleration guidelines.
IT departments should prioritize this patch for users reporting Outlook freezes or cloud storage access failures.
Both patches combine cumulative updates with servicing stack updates (SSU), meaning they cannot be partially removed after installation. Users cannot uninstall the SSU component separately.
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