why do i have a threat on my pc that says Severe and i can't find what the threat is?

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why do i have a threat on my pc that says Severe and i can't find what the threat is?

Anonymous

Im starting to get concerned that an unknown threat is on my pc and i dont even know how to find out what it is? or even, what is causing the threat itself can someone tell me what to do? plus my pc said it scanned itself and it says it has one threat that it found sooooooo i need to know what i should do.

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Answer 1

Hello!

My name is David N., and I am a Windows fan and assist users here with Windows questions. I will be happy to assist you with your issue.

I am uncertain as to the source of the message that you have gotten, as this could have come from several things. However, the fact that you got that message means that it was probably blocked and you are safe.

Windows Defender may have detected a threat. If so, it has likely been quaranteened and your machine is safe. My instructions below will allow Windows Defender to do a thorough job to make certain of this.
You may have third-party antivirus or antimalware software on your machine that detected a threat. Since the threat was detected, it was likely quarantined at that time and is no longer a danger.
Some websites and questionable apps will trick you into getting a windows that says that you are threatened in an attempt to scare you to pay them money or download untrustworthy software. If this is the case you are likely safe unless you click on it and install their app or pay them money, as the "threat" is probably fake.

To make sure that you are safe, we will do a deep scan for malware and other hazards. To perform the Windows Defender offline scan:

Choose Start and type "Security". Open Windows Security.
Open "Virus and threat protection".
Click on "Scan options".
Choose "Microsoft Defender Antivirus (offline scan)".
Choose "Scan now".

This will reboot your computer and start a deep scan for malware. It takes the computer offline so that outside threats are locked out so that the scan can complete undisturbed.

This should find any currently existing threats and quarantine them to keep you safe. Windows Defender should give you a list of software that you can choose to ignore or quarantine.

If it finds software labelled as a "PUP", this means a piece of software which you may or may not want, a "Potentially Unwanted Program". These are programs which you may or may not want on your machine. Typically they are programs that do things which could be used by both hackers and legitimate users, or which offer something useful such as a game but which also contains spyware that you may be unaware of. It is recommended that you quarantine these unless you recognize them and want to keep using them.

I hope this helps! Please let me know if this resolves your issue or if you require additional assistance.

Regards,

David N.

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why do i have a threat on my pc that says Severe and i can't find what the threat is?

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