Microsoft fixes Defender bug that mistook Chromium apps for malware

Microsoft has fixed a bug in its antivirus software, Defender. The software incorrectly stated this weekend that popular software such as Chromium browsers and Electron apps contain malware. The malware definitions have since been updated.

According to Windows Central the issue occurred since definition update 1.373.1508.0 and update version 1.373.1537.0 has fixed this issue. Microsoft released a total of eight such updates for Defender on Sunday. Defender mistook the software for Behavior:Win32/Hive.ZY, ransomware from the prominent Hive group.

Screenshots on Windows Central show Defender mentioning the threat blocked action. This probably means that the processes are stopped. It doesn’t appear that Defender quarantined or removed the software.

Many users will have been bothered by the notifications this weekend. The Chromium browser engine in its various manifestations such as Chrome, Edge, Vivaldi, Opera, Brave and more has a very large majority in the browser market. Electron is a software framework that runs desktop applications and also uses Chromium under the hood. Examples include desktop apps such as Spotify, Signal, Slack, Discord and WhatsApp.

Microsoft gives opposite Bleeping Computer a statement. “We have released an update to resolve this issue and customers using automatic updates for Microsoft Defender will not need to take any additional action,” the company said.

Image: Daniel Rubino via Windows Central