windows defender

Question

Today I received a warning from windows defender of a threat in the below capture. I also run Webroot which hasn't flagged any threats. Who's telling the truth? TIA

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Answer 1

Hi @Steven Maguire

If there hasn't been any changes to your /hosts file then it may have been a false-positive. The image you provided doesn't really provide any additional details.

You can exclude the hosts file from your scan:

This issue occurs because Windows Defender may determine incorrectly that the Hosts file was changed by malware, such as adware or spyware. Typically, malware programs change the Hosts file to redirect users to malicious websites. Therefore, Windows Defender may detect the Hosts file as a security threat.

Hosts file is detected as malware in Windows Defender

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/hosts-file-is-detected-as-malware-in-windows-defender-4320fa8b-0d54-1129-db85-61f095144521

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If this is helpful please accept answer.

Answer 2

Copyright (c) 1993-2009 Microsoft Corp.

This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.