E
Erik{P}
System info:
Windows 10 Pro x64
Version 1909
Build 18363.720
Real-time antivirus: Avira Free Antivirus
On-demand scanner: Malwarebytes Free
Hello everybody,
(Apologies for the long post, I just want to make sure I get all the details out)
A couple of days ago the Virus and Threat Protection on my system turned off automatically, and I noticed it right away since I sitting at the computer. The alert in the notifications was something akin to "Real-time protection turned off". I wasn't browsing weird websites, clicking on links or installing anything at the time.
My real-time protection (Avira free antivirus) said it was still on. Also, at the time of the incident I was running a manual full scan with Malwarebytes, which is my on-demand scanner (I run it once a week). When I clicked on the flag notification to bring up Windows Security the interface was blank and looked broken. I let my scan with Malwarebytes finish and it found nothing. Also, overnight I had just done a full scan with Avira and it also found nothing.
I restarted my PC. After Windows finished loading, Windows Security asked me to manually restart Defender (if I remember correctly, I had to hit restart on two things). And then everything looked normal. The only other thing I noticed was that a file named msmpeng.exe asked for permission through my firewall (I have Windows Firewall Control (WFC) which lets me allow or block apps trying to make a connection). WFC said it was signed by Microsoft and a little bit of googling revealed that it was related to Defender, so I allowed it.
Afterwards, thinking that some type of software conflict occurred, I uninstalled both Avira and Malwarebytes, and reinstalled Malwarebytes. Then I completed a few scans to be on the safe side:
1) I scanned my C drive with Malwarebytes in Safe Mode
2) I used the Windows Defender Offline scan
3) I did a full scan with Malwarebytes (normal mode)
4) I did a full scan with Windows Defender (normal mode)
None of the scans found anything.
So, my question is, should I just assume something buggy happened with Windows Defender and it had to be restarted, or are there other things I should check/tools I should use to verify that nothing malicious occurred? I know that there are other posts similar to this with different recommendations, but I also don't want to overdo it if I don't have to (i.e. potentially make things worse).
Thank you for reading this far and for any help/suggestions you may have. Feel free to ask any questions, get more details or have me repeat any of the things I've already done.
Thanks!
Erik
Continue reading...
Windows 10 Pro x64
Version 1909
Build 18363.720
Real-time antivirus: Avira Free Antivirus
On-demand scanner: Malwarebytes Free
Hello everybody,
(Apologies for the long post, I just want to make sure I get all the details out)
A couple of days ago the Virus and Threat Protection on my system turned off automatically, and I noticed it right away since I sitting at the computer. The alert in the notifications was something akin to "Real-time protection turned off". I wasn't browsing weird websites, clicking on links or installing anything at the time.
My real-time protection (Avira free antivirus) said it was still on. Also, at the time of the incident I was running a manual full scan with Malwarebytes, which is my on-demand scanner (I run it once a week). When I clicked on the flag notification to bring up Windows Security the interface was blank and looked broken. I let my scan with Malwarebytes finish and it found nothing. Also, overnight I had just done a full scan with Avira and it also found nothing.
I restarted my PC. After Windows finished loading, Windows Security asked me to manually restart Defender (if I remember correctly, I had to hit restart on two things). And then everything looked normal. The only other thing I noticed was that a file named msmpeng.exe asked for permission through my firewall (I have Windows Firewall Control (WFC) which lets me allow or block apps trying to make a connection). WFC said it was signed by Microsoft and a little bit of googling revealed that it was related to Defender, so I allowed it.
Afterwards, thinking that some type of software conflict occurred, I uninstalled both Avira and Malwarebytes, and reinstalled Malwarebytes. Then I completed a few scans to be on the safe side:
1) I scanned my C drive with Malwarebytes in Safe Mode
2) I used the Windows Defender Offline scan
3) I did a full scan with Malwarebytes (normal mode)
4) I did a full scan with Windows Defender (normal mode)
None of the scans found anything.
So, my question is, should I just assume something buggy happened with Windows Defender and it had to be restarted, or are there other things I should check/tools I should use to verify that nothing malicious occurred? I know that there are other posts similar to this with different recommendations, but I also don't want to overdo it if I don't have to (i.e. potentially make things worse).
Thank you for reading this far and for any help/suggestions you may have. Feel free to ask any questions, get more details or have me repeat any of the things I've already done.
Thanks!
Erik
Continue reading...