back to article Microsoft Defender 'finally' stops flagging Tor Browser as malware

We're sure you'll be pleased to know Microsoft Defender has stopped mistakenly breaking the latest version of Tor Browser. The antivirus tool had flagged and quarantined the application's core tor.exe program as a trojan, causing the software to stop working as desired. This is according to the Tor Project's developers and …

  1. mark l 2 Silver badge

    If you are using the TOR browser then usually you are doing that for the sake of privacy/anonymity? In which case don't be running on top of Windows in the first place?

    Only running TOR on an Google Android device could possibly be a worse choice of OS for privacy concerned individuals.

  2. Groo The Wanderer Silver badge

    One of the reasons I don't allow Defender on my systems is that Microsoft has a REAL bad habit of flagging applications that it's partners in Hollywood or the CIA don't like, but which are perfectly legal to own and use.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      >> "Microsoft has a REAL bad habit of flagging applications that it's partners in Hollywood or the CIA don't like, but which are perfectly legal to own and use."

      Name some apps, plz.

      I'm using several torrent and non-torrent p2p clients and qbittorrent was the only one (for a while) that was flagged because they didn't provide signed executables. Of course I could and still can whitelist applications from Defender.

      1. Groo The Wanderer Silver badge

        Why should open source tools be signed by the MICROSOFT store?

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          >> "Why should open source tools be signed by the MICROSOFT store?"

          Code signing can be done with several different Cert peddles, be it Verisign, CA, Microsoft, whatever. Standard operating procedure, really.

          Please provide names of those CIA+Hollywood disapproved applications that Defender blocks?

  3. Marty McFly Silver badge
    FAIL

    Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

    The conflict of interest available under the banner of "security" is ripe for abuse. Microsoft's portfolio is too big and too broad for them to be trusted gatekeepers. It is too tempting for them to flag 3rd party products as bad just because they are competition.

    Microsoft simply cannot be trusted to properly execute the responsibility of security.

  4. Mnostvo
    FAIL

    Microsoft Defender

    I have joined the community only to share this:

    After our small European IT services company was devoured by a super successful American corporation, the first thing they shoved down our throats was the transition to 365 heaven...Defender and Sentinel included. For three consecutive months, the incredible tool threw all the emails of our long-term technology partners into phishing purgatory. There was no cure for this madness. In the meantime, I changed jobs, as did most of my colleagues. Allegedly, the Yankees are shutting down European operations....

  5. Mnostvo

    Oh, Defender

    Familiar name that evokes tender memories motivated me to write this:

    After our small European IT services company was devoured by a super successful American corporation, the first thing they shoved down our throats was the transition to 365 heaven...Defender included. For three consecutive months, the incredible tool threw all the emails of our long-term technology partners into phishing purgatory. There was no cure for this madness. In the meantime, I changed jobs, as did most of my colleagues. Allegedly, the Yankees are shutting down European operations....

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