Microsoft: the ability to download files through the built-in antivirus in Windows 10 does not threaten the security of the PC
Last week it became known that after the update, the Microsoft Defender antivirus built into Windows 10 received a file download function, which can be used by attackers to deliver malware to user PCs. Now Microsoft has denied information that antivirus threatens the security of computers running Windows 10.
“ Despite the researchers’ reports, Microsoft Defender and Microsoft Defender ATP continue to protect clients from malware. These programs detect malicious files that enter the system using the antivirus download function, “Microsoft said in a statement.
This is a new DownloadFile command-line argument that appeared after one of the recent antivirus updates. Now a user with administrator rights can use the MpCmdRun.exe tool to download malware and other files from a remote location. This was reported by researchers working in the field of information security, who was the first to notice the emergence of the new function.
However, later it was found that although Microsoft Defender allows you to download malware, it continues to identify it as dangerous. In addition, this tool cannot be used by hackers to elevate privileges, which means that it is not dangerous. In other words, you can download malware using Microsoft Defender, but the antivirus will scan it and block it, preventing it from harming the operating system.