Microsoft has disabled a 'key feature' to enhance Windows security

Microsoft

has enhanced the security of the Windows operating system but for that it has disabled a crucial feature. The company has quietly updated

Windows Hello

's face unlock feature, which now prevents it from working in dark rooms. As per the tech giant, this isn't a bug but a deliberate change made in April to patch a serious spoofing vulnerability. While the fix enhances security, it removes a key functionality many Windows 11 users relied on.The change, spotted by Windows Central, has been noted by some Surface Laptop users who claimed that they can no longer use their face to sign into their laptop in a dark room. “After installing this update or a later Windows update, for enhanced security, Windows Hello facial recognition requires color cameras to see a visible face when signing in,” says Microsoft in its April Windows Update patch notes.

How Windows Hello technology works

Windows Hello leverages a combination of both colour cameras and infrared (IR) sensors, allowing for authentication even in complete darkness.

The vulnerability was discovered by researchers at Nanyang Technological University“Automated recognition mechanism with inadequate detection or handling of adversarial input perturbations in Windows Hello allows an unauthorized attacker to perform spoofing locally,” the researchers said.The flaw was rated "important" by Microsoft, though the company noted it was "less likely" to be exploited by malicious actors locally on a device, and it has not been publicly disclosed or exploited.Meanwhile, for users who rely heavily on dark-room unlocking, a temporary workaround exists: disabling the webcam in Windows 11's Device Manager. However, there is a catch. This 'change' by users renders the camera unusable for all other applications, including video calls, making it an impractical solution for most users and a clear trade-off between convenience and security.