Windows 10 has yet another printer issue, but you probably aren't affected

Windows 10 has yet another printer problem, though it affects a small group of devices.

What you need to know

• Microsoft confirmed a new printing issue caused by a Windows 10 update sent out earlier this month.
• The issue only affects printers and scanners with smartcard authentication.
• Microsoft is working on a mitigation for the issue.

Windows 10 continues to have printing issues. Now, the most recent patch for the operating system causes some printers and scanners to fail to print. The patch came in a security release that addressed the PrintNightmare security issue but causes some other problems related to printing.

Microsoft lists the following as a known issue for Windows 10 build 19043.1110 (KB5004237):

After installing updates released July 13, 2021 on domain controllers (DCs) in your environment, printers, scanners, and multifunction devices which are not compliant with section 3.2.1 of RFC 4556 spec, might fail to print when using smart-card (PIV) authentication.

The patch started rolling out on July 13, 2021, but Microsoft didn't confirm the new issue with printers and scanners until July 23, 2021.

Fortunately, this issue only affects a small subset of printers. Microsoft says that only printers with smart card authentication are affected, so many of the best printers aren't affected. The problems are also related to whether printers support certain keys or controllers, according to Microsoft:

The affected devices are smart card authenticating printers, scanners, and multifunction devices that don't support DH or advertise support for des-ede3-cbc ("triple DES") during the Kerberos AS request.

Microsoft advises people experiencing the issue to make sure that devices are running the latest firmware and drivers. Then, the company encourages people to contact device manufacturers. Microsoft is also working on mitigating the issue.

The company notes that "Devices that are affected when using smart card (PIV) authentication should work as expected when using username and password authentication."