Windows Update KB3097877 crashes Outlook

A recent update for Windows may cause Outlook to crash.

The update that causes this is KB3097877 and it appears to be limited to only some Windows 7 installations when downloading online images for a HTML message. The version of Outlook that you are using doesn’t seem to matter and other applications may also be affected.

Update:
Microsoft has rereleased update KB3097877 and it no longer crashes Outlook. Check Windows Update and you should be offered it again.

Otherwise, click on the “Installed Updates” link in the bottom left corner of the Windows Update dialog, uninstall KB3097877, restart your computer and rerun “Check for updates” in Windows Update.

When it comes to Outlook, it mainly appears to affect messages that download images from the Internet, so a workaround is to disable the exceptions for the option to automatically download images as shown below:

Automatic Download - Do not download anything.
These settings can be adjusted in Outlook’s Trust Center and is the most secure configuration at any time.

However, note that this setting doesn’t apply to messages which already got permissions to download their linked images from the Internet.

If Outlook still crashes then, you can uninstall the update via Windows Update in Control Panel. However, it is a security update so make sure you read the KB article so you are aware of the vulnerability and make sure you re-apply the update  as soon as Microsoft releases a fix or workaround for the issue.