Question Windows Defender failed to block malware so what is a good alternative ?

[kram6319]

I have an Acer laptop running Windows 11 . I have been using Windows Defender for many months no issues. Last month, I was looking for a music downloader and found one, it looked safe BUT once I downloaded it, I got pop up after pop up saying your laptop is infected & to call that fake number to get it removed.

I rebooted and had just enough time to wipe the laptop & reinstall windows 11, that seemed to get rid of it.
I downloaded the 30-day trial of ESET Security. I have run several scans with it and have come up clean. I also have malwarebytes free and same results on everything, all clean.

I had read good things about windows defender, I am surprised it did not catch the download I attempted and block it. I have been reading about other antiviruses and wanted to see what would be the best. I am a home user, pay bills, read, do banking ect... Downloading is rare so what I did with trying to find a downloader program I wont do again!!!

I am happy with ESET so far & have 10 free trial days left. Any suggestions on what to consider? My gut feeling is to stick with ESET. I am a bit surprised Defender let me down.. Anyway, any advice is appreciated.

 

[Ralston18]

The download may actually have been harmless and was not a real virus or malware. Simply meant to look like a virus to potential victims. The virus not being real is why it appears that Defender didn't work.

Just some code that acted or looked malicious once downloaded. The developer's intent simply being to scare or panic victims into calling the fake number.

The real damage is incurred by doing whatever the folks at the called number can convince the victim to do.

I often look for product manuals and from time to time stumble into fake warnings etc. that can be difficult to terminate. CTRL-ALT-DEL will usually bring the continuing warning loops, pop-up windows, etc. to an end.

Be on guard for URLs that can be misleading: just because "Microsoft" (or whatever manufacter or product is being searched for ) appears in the URL does not make that URL legitimate.

Fake websites abound that rely on common misspellings and/or typos to draw people in,

Pay close attention to URLs.

 

[USAFRet]

I agree with the above.

Probably not a "virus", but merely a link/url/popup that tells you that your system is infected, and "Call Me to fix this!!!"

A 'music downloader', to download from where?

 

[Cilantro7536]

Yeah, maybe not a true virus-infested program, but a scam-promoting software. Maybe using an extension like MalwareByte browser guard would help. Using malware/scam filtering DNS services like NextDNS or AdGuard would also help.

 

[ubuysa]

I was looking for a music downloader and found one, it looked safe BUT once I downloaded it, I got pop up after pop up saying your laptop is infected & to call that fake number to get it removed.

It looked safe? How could you tell? This is exactly what the Windows Sandbox is for, though it's not available in Windows 11 Home. It is unsafe in the extreme to install unknown software like this.

No security software can protect you against your own unwise actions. Security starts with you. If you're looking for a tool that will stop you doing unwise things then you're going to be disappointed. I use Defender and the Windows Firewall, they are both very good. Defender in particular contains a whole host of exploit protection mechanisms. But no, it won't stop you doing stuff you should not do.

 

[Gururu]

As someone who supports my parents PC (magnets for viruses/trojans), I have seen a lot of files make it to the PC and initiate similar activity. In every case I have seen, it is asking for a response (call, email, etc) to "solve" the issue. All scams! Closing all apps or rebooting immediately and running Windows Defender usually finds it for the removal.

 

[rgd1101]

nothing is perfect if the user keep installation crap