Windows 10: Windows Defender Keeps Finding Old Threats

Windows Defender keeps finding old threats on my Windows 11 client. The threat found date also has an old date on it, but the files are no longer on the system. I searched online for some solutions, but those options don't work.Cleaning out the C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows Defender\Scans\History\Services folder, but can't get into there as the System account is the only one with rights. Security tab says Local admins have rights too, which my account is in, but still cannot get into that folder.Tried resetting Windows Defender with the GUI in Security Settings and also with PowerShell c

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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

 

windows defender keeps saying it finds "potentially harmful software" but nothing listed.

Running latest windows 10.

Defender keeps notifying "potentially harmful software..." but nothing is listed.

Also - when I run a quick scan, defenders says "app detected a potential threat" but nothing is listed in History or in "all detected items".

I don't care about the threat but I do want defender to stop notifying me. I'd like to "allow" whatever it is defender is finding but nothing is ever listed. I would like to fix the problem but I'd be satisfied if I just completely removed defender from
my system to stop the notifications.

What are my options?

 

Windows Defender/Security - no option to "Allow" potential threats?

If you want to control what does defender do to threats you can do it trough GPO in the following location: Computer configuration\Administrative templates\Windows components\Microsoft defender antivirus\Threats Here configure option: Specify threats upon which default action should not be taken when detected Threats are categorized by level, you assign default action per threat level.

EDIT: Btw. to open GPO (Local Group Policy) follow these steps: 1. click on start button 2. type: gpedit.msc 3. right click on gpedit.msc and run as Administrator