Windows Update 2019-08 Cumulative Update has broken VBA code use case

Anonymous
2019-08-14T10:33:56+00:00

An issue with VBA code has started to be seen by some of my users and also by me this morning. I have tracked it down to have been caused by the latest 2019-08 Cumulative Update (e.g. KB4511553) and it is affecting all combinations of Windows and Office that I have seen so far- from Windows Server 2008 to Windows 10 & Office 2003(!) to Office 2016. 

The test code below demonstrates the problem. The method "Test" executes with no errors before the 2019-08 cumulative update is installed (or after it is uninstalled). However, after the update, the scenario of passing an empty ParamArray parameter to another method as a Variant parameter causes an error to be thrown on the declaration line of the second method. (Error 5: Invalid procedure call or argument).

Sub Test()

    Test1 "A", "B"   'Works OK with and without Windows Update

    Test1            'Fails after Windows Update

End Sub

Sub Test1(ParamArray P() As Variant)

    Test2 P

End Sub

Sub Test2(ByVal P As Variant)    'Error occurs on this line

End Sub

This is causing errors in my Microsoft Access application, but I have also tried this code in Word 2016 and the same issue occurs there too.

Can somebody validate this, please? I'm not really sure what the correct way of reporting this problem is.

Thanks

Chris

Microsoft 365 and Office | Access | For home | Windows

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments

43 answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2019-08-14T19:56:06+00:00

    I am a Sr. Escalation Engineer for Microsoft, and we are already working multiple support cases that have been opened for this issue.  The update that was released yesterday contained a change in the oleaut32.dll that mitigates a specific security exploit. Unfortunately, this mitigation unexpectedly caused all these VBA and VB6 apps that were passing an empty ParamArray to start getting E_INVALIDARG in return from an internal function call.  This bubbled up to the errors you are seeing.

    We are taking this very seriously and discussing the possibilities for a safe and quick way to resolve this.  Since it was caused by a security update, there may be some obstacles to simply reverting the changes we made.

    Nevertheless, our full attention is on this issue now, and please rest assured that we will provide an update when we can safely do so.

    In the meantime, if you are at liberty to modify your code, passing a parameter to the ParamArray, even if you don't need it, should avoid the problem.

    Scot

    Was this answer helpful?

    10+ people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  2. Anonymous
    2019-08-15T00:44:11+00:00

    Here’s a more complete list of KB articles that will have updates to them.  The "Dashboard” can be accessed with this short URL:  https://aka.ms/WIndowsReleaseHealth

    All KB articles are now updated with the known issue:

    OS KB Number
    RS1 - Windows 10 1607 and Windows Server 2016 4512517
    RS2 - Windows 10 Version 1703 4512507
    RS3 - Windows 10 Version 1709 4512516
    RS4 - Windows 10 version 1803 or Windows Server Version 1803 4512501
    RS5 – Windows 10 version 1809 4511553
    19H1 (1903) – Windows 10, version 1903 4512508
    TH1 (1507/RTM) 4512497
    Monthly Rollup Win 8.1 and Win Server 2012 R2 4512488
    Sec. Only Win 8.1 and Win Server 2012 R2 4512489
    Monthly Rollup Win Server 2012 & Windows Embedded 8 Standard 4512518
    Sec. Only Win Server 2012 & Windows Embedded 8 Standard 4512482
    Monthly Rollup Win 7 SP1 and Win Server 2008 R2 SP1 4512506
    Sec. Only Win 7 SP1 and Win Server 2008 R2 SP1 4512486
    Monthly Rollup Win Server 2008 SP2 4512476
    Sec. Only Win Server 2008 SP2 4512491

    Was this answer helpful?

    2 people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  3. Anonymous
    2019-08-14T23:52:18+00:00

    While I'm not directly connected to any of the teams that can respond to your suggestions and requests, I'm at least inside "the moat", so I 'll do what I can to find the people who can actually do something there.  So that we don't spam this forum thread about issues not directly related to the original post, please contact me at my Microsoft "dot com" address.

    I hope that those who read this reply will do me the respect of not abusing that.

    Was this answer helpful?

    2 people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  4. Anonymous
    2019-08-14T23:41:43+00:00

    Well, since I've got the opportunity to talk to someone inside the moat, here are a couple more ideas to pass up the foodchain there:

    For example, in the Feedback system (Feedback Hub and UserVoice sites) could you suggest making the acknowledgement more descriptive.  "We've got it" doesn't convey anything useful.

    UserVoice sites: implement some design standards. Those sites are totally wild west. For example, start by getting rid of the limit on the number of votes you can make.

    Do userVoice feedback appear in the Feedback hub? They should. I've never tested.

    OneNote Windows 10 / UWP: the single worst design decision MS has made since the ribbon and Clippy. How on earth could anyone sign off on forcibly replacing OneNote 2016/desktop with the UWP version. That move alone was incredibly rude.  And, UWP is STILL missing so much key functionality how could MS claim it is a (dis)"improvement". Taking functionality away, with the promise to restore it "someday" is unacceptable.  Forcing people to ONLY store notes in OneDrive is unacceptable for privacy reasons!

    Create a section in the Feedback Hub tracking / reporting feedbacks that have actually been implemented. Too many people still feel that Feedback is a black hole, suggestions go in, but nothing comes out.

    Categorizing feedbacks is too difficult. I always have a hard time figuring out which categories to use. I don't like it, but I don't know specifically how to make it better...

    Was this answer helpful?

    1 person found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  5. Anonymous
    2019-08-14T22:17:05+00:00

    Thanks for the rare update from inside the castle.

    Was this answer helpful?

    1 person found this answer helpful.
    0 comments