Microsoft Defender, the built-in antivirus software on Windows computers, is no longer flagging the Tor Browser as malware.
Microsoft stated, “We’ve reviewed the submitted files and have determined that they do not fit our definitions of malware or unwanted applications. As such, we’ve removed the detection.”
For users who still see this false positive, Microsoft provided a clear set of instructions to update and clear any previous flags:
- Open the command prompt as an administrator.
- Navigate to c:\Program Files\Windows Defender.
- Run the command “MpCmdRun.exe -removedefinitions -dynamicsignatures”.
- Follow it with “MpCmdRun.exe -SignatureUpdate”.
For those who prefer manual updates, Microsoft has made the latest definitions available here.
The Tor Browser is a popular web browser that uses the Tor network to anonymize and encrypt internet traffic. This makes it a good choice for users who want to protect their privacy online. However, Tor has also been used by criminals and other malicious actors, which has led some antivirus companies to flag the browser as malware.
As of the latest signature database (version 1.397.1910.0), Windows Defender no longer flags tor.exe as a trojan.
