Windows 10: Windows defender flagging the same "threat" I marked as an exclusion every day

I have a program on my computer that windows defender thinks is a threat but is actually not. I have marked the file itself, the folder its in, and the process it runs as exclusions to the scan, yet every day I have to restore it from quarantine as it keeps flagging it. I do not have an option to allow it (I used to, which would work for a few weeks before it popped up again, but it would seem that was lost in an update at some point), only to remove it or restore it.

I tried using the task scheduler to change the scan to weekly and thus I'd only have to restore it weekly (I personally think a daily scan is a bit excessive, given this is the only thing it's ever found, but it wouldn't bother me if not for this specific issue). Has anyone run into this and knows how to make it stop doing that? It's really getting annoying, especially when I already marked it as an exclusion and windows defender has apparently decided to just ignore that.

submitted by /u/Skcamero
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:)

 

Windows defender false positive - forced to allow threat

Windows defender has started to identify C:\Windows\System32\mshta.exe as a threat [normally reported as a Trojan Powessere.G]. I use mshta.exe to run an hta custom MsgBox - I have been hoping to keep using my current CustomMsgBox tool [batch file calling a vbs-hta file] until later this year when I hope to have had enough time to replace it with a PowerShell alternative.

Windows defender's notification lets me "allow the threat" but that seems to me to be a bigger security hole than is necessary - it will now ignore a potentially real intrusion when all I want to run is a genuine Windows component. My immediate problem is fixed but I would prefer to fix the false positive using the exclusions list.

I cleared the 'Allowed threats history' so I could use the exclusions list instead. I added C:\Windows\System32\mshta.exe to the file exclusions list and I checked that it had taken properly by checking the exclusions list both in the UI & in the Registry. But the exclusion made no difference, it continued to detect and block the exe.

I have repeated the attempt several times [by clearing the allowed threats list & exclusions list beforehand] and the results are the same every time
- allowing the threat works,
- using the exclusions list has no effect.

I studied the relevant tutorial but have not spotted an error in what I have been doing - Add or Remove Windows Defender Exclusions

Does anybody with experience of using the exclusions list to counter false positives have any suggestions for me?

Denis

 

Allowing a threat in Windows Defender.

To add a file exclusion to Windows 10:

• Press Windows key and type Windows Defender. Press Enter.
• Choose Virus & threat protection.
• Choose Virus & threat protection settings.
• Then, Add or remove exclusions.
• Press the plus sign next to Add exclusion.
• Choose File.
• Navigate to the file and choose it to add the exclusion.

Note: It is not recommended under most circumstances to add an exclusion unless you know it is not malware.

 

Unable to Remove Exclusions from Windows Defender

Thank you for posting back. If you trust a file, file type, folder, or a process that Windows Defender Antivirus has detected as malicious, you can stop Windows Defender Antivirus from alerting you or blocking the program by adding the file to
the exclusion list. It seems that it was added automatically. We suggest that you follow these steps:

• Go to Settings and select Update & security.
• Click Windows Defender.
• Look for Exclusions and select Add an exclusion.
• Navigate to the file, folder, or process, and select Exclude this file.

If the steps provided did not work, we recommend that you boot your device to
Safe Mode and redo the process.

Let us know if you need further assistance.