Always On VPN Updates for Windows 10 2004

Always On VPN Updates for Windows 10 2004Microsoft recently made available an update for Windows 10 2004 that includes many important fixes for outstanding issues with Windows 10 Always On VPN. KB4571744 (build 19041.488) addresses many challenges faced by Always On VPN administrators today, including the following.

TPM

This update addresses an issue that prevents hash signing from working correctly using the Microsoft Platform Crypto Provider for Trusted Platform Module (TPM). This issue can occur when administrators configure Always On VPN to use Protected Extensible Authentication Protocol (PEAP) with client certificate authentication using a FortiGate security device.

Sleep/Hibernate

This update also addresses issues with Windows 10 Always On VPN failing to automatically reconnect when resuming from sleep or hibernate. I’ve written about issues with Always On VPN and sleep/hibernate in the past. This is an issue that has plagued Always On VPN since its introduction, so let’s hope this finally provides some meaningful relief from this persistent problem.

Certificate Authentication

When both the Always On VPN device tunnel and user tunnel are provisioned to a Windows 10 clients, user tunnel connections may be authenticated using the machine certificate and not EAP/PEAP. This can result in connections that are not validated as intended, and allowing a user to bypass configured NPS policies, MFA requirements, or conditional access rules. This update includes a fix for this issue, restoring proper authentication for the user tunnel when the device tunnel is also provisioned.

Device and User Tunnel Coexistence

A bug that first appeared when Windows 10 2004 was introduced prevented a device tunnel and user tunnel Always On VPN connection from being established to the same VPN server if the user tunnel used Internet Key Exchange Version 2 (IKEv2). This update restores full functionality under those conditions.

Update KB4571744

To resolve these issues with Windows 10 Always On VPN as well as others, download and install update KB4571744 today. If you are experiencing any of these issues with releases of Windows 10 prior to 2004, look for updates for those build to come later this year.

Additional Information

September 3, 2020 – KB4571744 (OS Build 19041.488) Preview

Windows 10 Always On VPN Connection Issues after Sleep or Hibernate

Windows 10 Always On VPN Bug in Windows 10 2004

Always On VPN Bug in Windows 10 2004

Always On VPN Bug in Windows 10 2004While performing Always On VPN evaluation testing with the latest release of Windows 10 (2004), a bug was discovered that may result in failed VPN connections, but only under certain conditions. Specifically, the failure occurs when both the device tunnel and user tunnel are configured on the same client, and the user tunnel is configured to use IKEv2 exclusively.

Error 829

After upgrading to Windows 10 2004, and when the device tunnel and user tunnel are both deployed and the user tunnel is configured to use IKEv2, the administrator will notice that if the device tunnel connection is established, the user tunnel connects successfully but is then terminated abruptly with error code 829.

Always On VPN Bug in Windows 10 2004

Note: This can happen in reverse if the user tunnel is established before the device tunnel for some reason. In this scenario the user tunnel would be connected but attempts to establish the device tunnel would result in failure.

Error 619

If the user tunnel connection is initiated using rasdial.exe or rasphone.exe, the error code returned is 619.

Always On VPN Bug in Windows 10 2004

Always On VPN Bug in Windows 10 2004

Workaround

The workaround for this issue is to either use a single tunnel, or if both user tunnel and device tunnel are required, configure the user tunnel to use the SSTP VPN protocol instead of IKEv2.

Additional Information

Windows 10 Always On VPN Device Tunnel Only Deployment Considerations