Microsoft acknowledged a bug in the September 2026 Windows 11 cumulative updates that caused problems with Always On VPN connections, particularly when using automatic protocol selection with IKEv2 and SSTP. The issue resulted in affected VPN connections remaining in a Connecting state or failing to connect after initial attempts. IT administrators were advised to change the Always On VPN profile from automatic protocol selection to a single protocol, either SSTP only or IKEv2 only, to mitigate this issue. Microsoft has now marked the bug as mitigated in the October 2026 updates, with a permanent fix planned for future releases. This temporary fix, while not a long-term solution, has helped alleviate the issue for affected users. In addition to the VPN issue, Microsoft has also addressed other problems caused by the September updates, including Hyper-V issues, Remote Desktop Services failures, and USB audio problems. These updates have been released as emergency out-of-band updates to ensure users are protected. Moving forward, Microsoft is working on a permanent solution for the Always On VPN issue and is committed to providing timely and effective updates to maintain system stability and security.
