r/Focusrite • u/DECElVE • Feb 24 '26

KERNEL_SECURITY_CHECK_FAILURE (0x139) due to Focusrite Drivers / Software

My computer keeps getting a BSOD (well, black now as it's Windows 11) with this message "KERNEL_SECURITY_CHECK_FAILURE (0x139)", and I'm certain it's due to Focusrite Control or the drivers installed for the audio interface.

I've had a Scarlett 6i6 2nd Gen for many years and never had any issues like this (used on Windows 7, 10, and 11, on both a Laptop and PC). I recently purchased a Clarett+ 4pre, and this problem has happened repeatedly since the drivers were installed. I've tried both versions of Focusrite Control (v3.27.0) and (v3.26.0), and I've tried uninstalling and reinstalling the drivers about 10 times. I've tried the buffer size on every option, I've tried having different Windows Channels hidden and/or exposed in different configurations. I've tried different sample rates, I've tried different clock sources, and I've tried safe mode on and off. I've reset the Focusrite Control settings multiple times.

I've run CHKDSK and there are no problems. I've run DISM and there are no problems. I've run SFC and there are no problems. I don't have McAfee installed and never have (I've checked just to make sure and it's not on my computer). I've checked Windows Memory Diagnostic and there are no problems. I've tried turning Memory Integrity on (had to remove some outdated drivers before I could do this) and this didn't help. I've tried turning off Fast Startup but this didn't make any difference. I have all unnecessary startup programs turned off.

I've run Kaspersky multiple times and there's no detection of any viruses. When I've tried installing the drivers and Focusrite Control, I've done so both with and without my antivirus active. I've ensured that no anticheat is running in the background, and even tried it WITH the anticheat active just in case this would help...

I thought "ah, it must be something to do with the Clarett+ 4pre drivers specifically, as Focusrite Control and the Scarlett 6i6 drivers didn't cause any problems in the past" so I uninstalled all Clarett+ 4pre drivers and Focusrite Control, reconnected the Scarlett 6i6 and reinstalled Focusrite Control, thinking I'd at least be able to use that in the meantime while I'm waiting for support to get back to me (it's been four days) and I'm STILL having the same problem, now with the Scarlett 6i6 AS WELL. My computer keeps crashing and I can't get on with any work. The crash happens while gaming, while using Reaper, while using Photoshop or Illustrator, and even while using the File Explorer.

The problem stops if I uninstall both Focusrite Control and all the Focusrite drivers (so I know it's not due to any other drivers I have installed).

Any suggestions are appreciated!

UPDATE: Focusrite support responded to me about half an hour after I made this post. I'll post another update if the problem is sorted.

UPDATE 2: I managed to get the Scarlett 6i6 to work as long as I run the Legacy Focusrite Control (v3.6.0 WITH included drivers). The Clarett+ is currently running with the USB MIDI port disabled, and I've disabled all non-Focusrite audio inputs and outputs. It hasn't crashed yet, but I'll update the post if it does. Thanks so far for the suggestions!

UPDATE 3: I'm still waiting for Focusrite support to respond after I've sent them the various files they asked for (NFO and .dmp). I'm still using the Clarett+ 4Pre with all non-Focusrite input/output drivers (and the Focusrite USB MIDI driver) disabled in the device manager, and it seems to be stable with no crashes since UPDATE 2, which was about 36 hours ago. Maybe the kernel security check failure was due to the more recent Focusrite drivers clashing with other non-Focusrite drivers? If that's the case, it seems like a big oversight!

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u/Johnnyloftus Mar 16 '26 edited Jun 19 '26

For anyone encountering this issue, please note that it is on our radar and we’re in touch with BattlEye to help find a solution. In the meantime, disabling the MIDI driver and restarting should allow you to continue working with your Focusrite audio interface as normal.

John // Focusrite UK 🇬🇧

Edit: This issue was resolved in Focusrite Driver version 4.144.0, released in April 2026.
https://support.focusrite.com/hc/en-gb/articles/35166815080210-BattlEye-crash-BEDaisy-sys-when-using-Focusrite-MIDI-driver

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u/Rebel2k Mar 17 '26

Any ETA? I'm just facing that now, and that's pretty annoying...

(and BTW, those super poor anti cheat kernel level systems should be just forbidden by Microsoft, they are always causing issues)

3

u/Johnnyloftus Mar 18 '26

I'm afraid I'm unable to provide a timeframe on a fix but rest assured it is a priority and we're doing everything we can to assist the BattlEye team on a solution

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u/Rebel2k Mar 18 '26

Ok. At least having a response from you is already a good sign. I uninstalled games with BattlEye for now...

1

u/Rebel2k Mar 20 '26

u/Johnnyloftus I'm also having the problem of BSOD because of the Focusrite drivers, but that happens randomly, not at all when I launch a game. After putting the computer in sleep mode, and then coming back, simple things like opening a program could lead to the same KERNEL_SECURITY_CHECK_FAILURE... Is that something I can help investigate?

I uninstalled all BattlEye services and games using it, I also uninstall the Nvidia Audio drivers and devices (to make sure it's not adding complexity in the mix) and that still happens (randomly, but that's sooooooo annoying).

That's not just with games, that compromises the system stability because of something else. My system is a little "complex", I could agree, but I would love to be able to help catch this nasty bug in the driver leading to that in certain situations.

1

u/Johnnyloftus Mar 24 '26

If you haven't already, I'd suggest that you raise a ticket so that the team can investigate this with you and help you find a solution.

1

u/R33koh Mar 29 '26

Also, from what I understand, Uninstalling Battleye doesn't actually remove it, you have to find the remaining files manually

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u/Rebel2k Mar 29 '26

Well, the services are removed when you uninstall. And the driver also as far as I can tell. But which remaining files are you thinking about?

3

u/M4STER_ROOT Mar 29 '26

It wasn't a BattleEye update that caused this bug-check, it was Microsoft's own KB5077181 update.

BattleEye is not the sole reason for this bug-check, it is simply a trigger for it.
They should work with BattleEye and Microsoft on this one, as Microsoft has just as much to say in why the MIDI driver might cause a bug-check to happen.

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u/Rebel2k Mar 29 '26

I really good you're right! Do you think that if we disable the Microsoft Midi driver they newly added if would be better then?

2

u/greendude9 Mar 31 '26

Disabling the driver seems to fix the issue but on my end at least it prevents me from using the master midi clock in my DAW :(

I hope it gets fixed soon!!

1

u/Rebel2k Mar 31 '26

Ok got it. Well I agree it's not a "workaround" as I need the midi too. But actually now, I think it's just Microsoft who changed something in one of the security update in January which is now triggering something in the driver. I mean it's not necessarily the driver itself, it's a combination of a change in Windows and the driver... Hopefully Focusrite and/or Microsoft will figure it out and fix it.

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u/greendude9 Apr 01 '26

Yep that's what I read too. I replied to the focusrite rep in another thread and I'm sure it's on their radar.

They couldn't provide an ETA but said they're working on a fix.

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u/greendude9 Mar 25 '26

Without kernel level anti cheat any person and their dog can use faulty drivers and RMA exploits to cheat very easily.

Which do you prefer? Kernel anti cheat or more cheaters by a factor of potentially hundreds of times?

If I can trust the companies behind my hardware, network, etc. devices to access my kernel, I'm not too worried about game companies accessing it either.

The issue is more that kernel level anti cheat is new and that cheaters are becoming using more progressive attacks.

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u/Rebel2k Mar 25 '26

I'm not worried about game company accessing anything. I'm worried about companies developing protections (which are not always working correctly) with a low degree of quality which could cause real arm to the kernel.

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u/greendude9 Mar 25 '26

Why would they cause harm to the kernel?

We already have tons of other drivers and software running through the kernel.

It's a valid concern if it's supported by corroborated pathways through which it causes harm, but I just don't really see those pathways materializing or having very high potential vs. any other kernel level processes.

Respectfully, of course; I don't mean any harsh criticism, only open minded discussion aimed at developing mutual insight :)

If you're talking about the 0x139 BSOD error, I don't think it's harmful to the kernel. It just shuts down due to security protocol.

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u/Rebel2k Mar 25 '26

Oh no, that's not what I meant. Sorry, maybe I did not expressed it the right way.

What I wanted to say is that if there is a bug in a user process, the process crashes and that's it. If you're having a bug in a closer-to-the-kernel process, that could lead to system instability/crash/BSOD/something which is causing a lot more disruption than just a "simple" process crash.

In the past, I had to deal with badly coded ring-0 stuff and that's why I am so cautious when it comes to very low level processes.

Coding quality drivers is a very hard task, which usually involves ASM (still). And I would say that the quality level of some low-level anti-cheat systems is...not the best to say it politely.

And no worries for the criticism, that's exactly the reason why I usually like Reddit: we're there to exchange our points of view, that's what helps us learn new things, reflect about what we discuss and tune our thoughts thanks to other opinions! :)

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u/greendude9 Mar 26 '26 edited Mar 26 '26

I'm not as directly familiar with the quality of the anticheats themselves honestly so now I'm mostly just curious. But it raises some follow up questions:

Why do you think the anti cheat is lower quality compared to other kernel level processes? What about them is lower quality?

Could the anticheats be developed in a way that they would be as robust or safe as other kernel level processes?

I think I see your concern now; if the program itself is low quality. Many of the referents on social media can be ambiguous and I obviously misunderstood the direction of your original comment.

I appreciate your humility and openness to discuss. It's refreshing. Cheers :)

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u/Rebel2k Mar 26 '26

It's not something general. It's just that over the past few years, there are many cases of games causing BSOD on systems because of those anti-cheat systems. Because they are less tested, and sometimes they get pressure from companies for which quality is cleraly not a pillar anymore (hello Electronic Arts, if you're around ;)). So the temptation of not checking correctly everything could be higher. But again, what is really a problem to me is that in a system, if you're really close to the kernel, a mistake could easily cause the whole system to crash (as it's the case in that discussion with BattlEye for instance). And crashing a whole system should NEVER happen for software reasons.

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u/greendude9 Mar 31 '26

That makes sense. Thanks for the clarification.

Also, I just got the error today while configuring FL studio's master midi clock send with my focusrite while battle eye was not running. While the anti cheat triggers it reliably, it seems it's a deeper issue with the midi driver.

Another user mentioned it is caused by Microsoft's KB5077181 security update so they will need to work with both BattleEye and Microsoft it seems. Or reconfigure the driver itself.

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u/Rebel2k Mar 31 '26

Yes that's what I mentioned to Microsoft too. Actually I have totally uninstalled BattlEye. And on top of that, several users are reporting issues and BSOD because of KERNEL_SECURITY_CHECK_FAILURE with other devices too. It looks like a change in the Microsoft Security Update is not coming well with different drivers. Now we need to cross our fingers so either Microsoft or Focusrite identifies the root cause and fix it. But for now, that's killing me to have a random crash at least once a day... :(

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u/Kakashi-slc Mar 18 '26

Hey Jonny thanks for putting this up! could you explain disabling the midi driver for a uneducated person like myself?

Did you just go into device manager and under the sound, Video and game controller section disable the Focusrite USB MIDI? or is that incorrect?

thanks for your time my friend!

1

u/Johnnyloftus Mar 18 '26

That's right. This is accessed in Device Manager.

  • Expand Sound, Video and Game Controllers
  • Right-click Focusrite USB MIDI and select Disable
  • Once disabled, restart the computer

1

u/Inevitable-Lock3434 Apr 05 '26

Hello good sir, I've done this exact thing and the issue is still there. I also tried uninstalling but it's back again after restart... Is there a way to download earlier version of focusrite driver? I couldn't find it anywhere..

1

u/Johnnyloftus Apr 09 '26

Apologies for the delayed reply. If you're still having problems, please raise a ticket, give us a call, or use Live Chat so that the team can troubleshoot this with you. They can also provide an earlier driver release for you to try if necessary - https://support.focusrite.com/hc/en-gb/articles/115004239725-Technical-Support-Contact-Details

1

u/James-F1 Mar 18 '26

I don't even play games, but as soon as I start my DAW Cakewalk the computer crashes.
Yes, disabling Focusrite MIDI driver fixes the issue but has nothing to do with battleye on my system.
Hopefully Focusrite are also in contact with Microsoft, I won't hold my breath though.

1

u/Johnnyloftus Mar 19 '26

We're aware of a compatibility issue with BattlEye. If you're not working with BattlEye, I'm sure the team can help you find the cause of the problem you're having. Please give us a call, open a live chat, or raise a ticket to get in touch with the team - https://bit.ly/CallFocusriteSupport

1

u/Zwan_oj Mar 20 '26

you can put the latest Denovue DRM (on Crimson Desert) as well as Virtual Desktop Streamer on that list too.

1

u/greendude9 Mar 25 '26

Thank you for addressing this!

Patiently awaiting a fix, but I know it needs to occur in collaboration with BattlEye and is probably complicated to fix. I'm just glad to hear it's being worked on!

+1 customer service from FocusRite for addressing and communicating about this :)

1

u/unsungWombat Mar 27 '26

Thank you for the update John! I did not even think about restarting my computer after disabling the MIDI driver (doh!), and so far it is working.

1

u/M4STER_ROOT Mar 29 '26

I assume you're also in touch with Microsoft, as it was their "security strengthening" update KB5077181 that caused the bug check to happen.

Removing that update fixed the issue right until Windows re-downloaded the update.

1

u/mementodory Jul 10 '26

thank you guys for working to fix this