Shield 1.3.1 and 1.2.3 have been released as bug fix updates to address a serialization issue in Shield 1.3.0 and 1.2.2, which affected message authentication and hindered rolling upgrades when transitioning from Shield 1.2.1. The bug caused compatibility issues, resulting in "tampered signed text" errors during upgrades involving nodes with different versions. Users who have not upgraded to the problematic versions can proceed with a straightforward upgrade to the latest versions, while those using message authentication in Shield 1.2.2 or 1.3.0 must perform a cluster restart upgrade. This involves uninstalling the existing plugin and installing the new one on each node, following the detailed instructions provided. Feedback on these updates is encouraged through the Shield category in the forums.