Windows: More solutions for unexpected User Account Control prompts

The August security updates for Windows desktop systems and Windows servers have introduced a tightening of Windows User Account Control (UAC) with them. Windows users with standard user privileges are now facing more frequent prompts. Microsoft is working on alleviating this and has implemented initial improvements.

This is what Microsoft writes in the Windows Release Health notes. However, with the update previews since the end of October or the November security updates, Microsoft has made further fine-tuning to the mechanism. UAC prompts should now only appear when a package performs MSI repair operations with elevated privileges for "Custom Actions." This includes, for example, an installer starting additional executable files during an installation or some functions being called with a delay, explains Microsoft in a support article.

Recent Windows updates make adjustments

This should also prevent the unwanted User Account Control prompts when starting apps like Autodesk's AutoCAD after installing the latest Windows updates. These do not perform such "Custom Actions" with elevated privileges.

Since apps that perform these special actions still sometimes show unwanted prompts after the September security updates, Microsoft has now also made it possible to add affected apps to an allow list. Admins can find instructions for this on Microsoft's support pages.

Microsoft initially introduced the tightening of User Account Control prompts with the August updates this year and provided more detailed information in September. The company aims to close a security vulnerability in the Windows Installer through this, which attackers could exploit due to "weak authentication" to escalate their privileges in the system (CVE-2025-50173 / EUVD-2025-24338, CVSS 7.8, Risk "high"). The changes can cause installations or updates to fail, for example.

(dmk)