Microsoft this week advised customers to disregard alerts stating that Defender Antivirus has been turned off, saying the warnings are incorrect and appear after installing the latest Defender updates.
The company's request, reported by BleepingComputer, addresses a situation where users see the 'Antivirus is turned off' notification despite Defender being active. Microsoft did not specify a timeline for a permanent fix.
Alerts follow Defender updates
The incorrect alerts occur specifically after users install the most recent Defender updates. Microsoft has not detailed which update versions are affected or whether the issue is widespread.
What users should do
Microsoft's guidance is to ignore the alerts for now. The company has not provided a workaround or a date for a resolution, leaving users to wait for a future update that corrects the false warnings.