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Breaches & RansomwareEmerging1 sourceAug 31, 2026 · 20:19via CSO Online

Windows bug incorrectly tells users that Microsoft Defender Antivirus is turned off

Brief

Microsoft on Friday reported that a glitch is causing Windows to tell users that Microsoft Defender Antivirus is turned off when it is in fact fully functional, a bug that the vendor says it is working to fix.

Consultants say that this advisory raises a major concern in that it will train users to ignore critical alerts, which makes them far more susceptible to attacks.

The Microsoft release health dashboard update on the issue reported: “After installing the latest updates for Microsoft Defender Antivirus, notifications might appear stating that ‘Microsoft Defender Antivirus is turned off’ even though the antivirus is functioning correctly and all settings show it as active. These notifications can appear when Windows starts and intermittently afterward.

They persist even if notification settings are turned off.

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