Windows 10: Permanently stopping a recurring false positive?

Ever since I switched back to Microsoft Defender Antivirus in January after Xfinity stopped offering Norton for free, I have been receiving a persistent false positive on the file C:\Windows\Temp\cpnprt2x64.cid. It has been variously detected at different times as Adware:Win32/Coupons most commonly, PUA:Win32/Presenoker, and App:CouponarificAds.


I consider this detection to be a false positive. I have reviewed the binary; it is a component of the Coupons.com printing application, which is activated only if you visit a coupon printing website and is required to print secure paper coupons online that most brick & mortar stores will accept. The vast majority of grocers and similar chains that accept manufacturers cents-off coupons now contract with Coupons.com to provide secure, printable online coupons. As Coupons.com coupons are almost always requested by the consumer, the software should NEVER be classified as "adware" or any other kind of malware.


I have flagged all three detections as "allowed threats" in Defender. However, Defender CONTINUES to flag this file as a virus and constantly attempts to notify me about it, quarantine it and/or remove it entirely. It is Defender that is engaged in unwanted activity, NOT this file. How do I PERMANENTLY stop Defender from treating this file as a virus?

:)

 

defender false positive

Hi Bob,

To better assist you, kindly verify the following:

• Where did you submit the file about Windows Defender being false positive?
• Right after the recent Windows 10 update, your Zara Radio stopped working?
• Regarding the 404 error, what application were you using when you got that error?

Let us know.

 

False positive for desktop shortcut scanner.lnk

The 1.239.488.0 virus / spyware definition update that rolled out about 24 hours ago appears to be producing a false positive for any shortcut placed on the desktop called "Scanner.lnk". I can consistently replicate a false positive for Trojan:Win32/FakeSysdef
with the following steps.

• Create a shortcut to an exe file.
• Place the shortcut on the desktop.
• Name the shortcut "Scanner".
• Run "Quick Scan".

I don't get the same result by directly scanning the file, nor by uploading the file to www.virustotal.com, so it would appear this is as a result of a heuristic rather than a file content analysis. I also don't get the same result with a shortcut that links
to a website.

Can anyone else replicate? How can we go about getting the Windows Defender team to reconsider this heuristic? It's a bit heavy-handed.

 

Questioning a false positive for a Windows Defender virus scan

Anytime you suspect a possible
false positive or you want a second opinion, submit it to one of the online services that analyzes suspicious files. There are also number of web resources (URL Link Scanners) which can be used to check suspicious/unfamiliar
sites or get second opinions.

• Comprehensive List of URL analyzers & services