Microsoft released Patch Tuesday Update KB5027231 (OS build 22621.1848) for Windows 11 22H2 on June 13, 2023, which addresses security issues related to the Windows operating system.
However, some users who have Malwarebytes anti-virus software installed on their systems are unable to completely launch Google Chrome and load the user interface after installing the Windows 11 22H2 KB5027231 cumulative update.
Affected users took to the Malwarebytes support forum to post their complaint, which is as follows: “I can’t open Chrome anymore after installing the June update KB5027231. I can see the processes in Task Manager, but Chrome doesn’t show up”.
“Updating to June 2023 Update (KB5027231) prevents Google Chrome from displaying after loading. Chrome will be listed in the task manager but you cannot get it to display. The only thing you can do is quit Malwarebytes,” wrote another user.
Even Windows admins reported the issue, stating that while uninstalling the KB5027231 update fixes the issue, it is not possible to do so via WSUS because of a “catastrophic error.”
“Rolled KB5027231 to a bunch of users, and I have Chrome broken everywhere. Attempting to rollback via wusa shows a ‘catastrophic error’ in the Event Viewer, and WSUS shows I cannot roll this back. Yeah, we can manually rollback boxes, and it shows that WILL work, but… no way to back out via command-line?” one admin said.
“We had about 400 machines get the patch, and definitely not all are running into the issue. I’ve had maybe 30 issues. No malwarebytes, and a check from our A/V shows nothing being blocked,” the same admin said in another comment.
Addressing the issue, Malwarebytes staff confirmed that the problem is caused by Malwarebytes’ anti-exploit module, which is preventing Google Chrome from loading after installing the KB5027231 update.
On Wednesday, Malwarebytes even published a supporting article confirming that the installation of Microsoft’s KB5027231 cumulative update caused Malwarebytes to conflict with Google Chrome on Windows 11 systems.
“On June 13, 2023, Microsoft’s KB5027231 update installed on Windows 11 caused a conflict between Google Chrome and exploit protection, resulting in browser crashes,” Malwarebytes said.
Malwarebytes has provided a workaround to help users experiencing issues while launching Google Chrome. The company recommends toggling off Google Chrome as a protected application in Malwarebytes security settings.
Check out the steps below to disable Google Chrome from the list of protected applications:
- Open Malwarebytes on your device.
- On the top right, click the Settings
- Click the Security
- Under Exploit Protection, click Manage protected applications.
- Toggle off Google Chrome (and plug-ins).
- Click Done.
Once the issue is resolved, you can go back and enable Google Chrome as a protected application in your Malwarebytes security settings.
Alternatively, affected users can address this issue by selecting ‘Google Chrome’ as the default browser on their system.
“We’re currently experiencing issues with Malwarebytes Exploit Protection and Chrome in Windows 11 where you’ll see Chrome crash. We suspect this is happening due to a Windows Update (KB5027231) that was released on June 13, 2023,” Malwarebytes VP of Product Michael Sherwood said.
“We’re actively troubleshooting this and we’ll be back with more info as soon as possible.”
