Windows 10 Update Breaks its Built-in Windows Defender Antivirus Protection

As per the recent buzz, it seems that the newly released Windows 10 update has resulted in a possible bug. It is being said that the antivirus scan on Windows 10 has been broken by Windows Defenders update resulting in an error message which reads “Items Skipped during Scan”.

Several users are reporting that the scanning process of Windows Defender is failing after a few seconds of the start, stating that “scan was skipped” and your system is free of all possible threats.

Experts at Windows have said that they are still trying to find the possible reason behind the error and are not sure what items and files are getting skipped from the scanning process. In addition to this experts also quoted that, they are not sure if Windows Defender is detecting threats in Windows 10.

If at all Windows Defender is not able to scan the files, then it’s a serious security concern. The issue is also being believed to be a part of a potential virus.

They also said that there are high chances that the scanning process is running perfectly, and the warning messages are a bug in the Windows defender. They further added that they have tested both automatic and manual scans, both failing and are resulting in the given error message.

Image Source: Windows Latest

It is being reported that the new bug was introduced in 4.18.2003 and newer versions of Windows Defender. It happened while experts were trying to fix an existing error. The error is only noticed in Windows 10, while earlier versions including Windows 7 and 8 have no signs of it.

One of the users who has reported the issue said that “He has encountered the error message while performing both manual and full scan. He further added that he is not aware whether the issue will still exist on turning off the Controlled Folder Access and Cloud-delivered Protection”.

Experts are saying that files are either getting skipped due to network scanning settings or item exclusions. To add more clarification, an expert further added that item exclusion is not the possible reason of error. It means that the error message is likely to be linked and associated to a specific Windows Defender update. It might be related to device manufacturers as well, they further added.

Microsoft is yet to find the underlying reason behind the scan error and is still working to find the root cause.

The Widespread Issue

According to the fact and figures released by Windows, the recently detected error has not affected all its users but has still affected a major portion. Some users reported that they have started receiving scan failure messages in the last couple of days while few also reported that they have been noticing such issues for quite some time.

People who use Windows Defender as their default antivirus solution, it is a big security concern for them. There are fair reasons that they might be exposed to malware. Windows is yet to give their final statement on the scan error, meanwhile users can opt for offline system scanning which is currently free of all such errors.

Prachi Dani

Prachi Dani is a technical content writer who specializes in areas of science and technology. She is highly up to date with technological transitions and transformations. Writing is not her passion but the only thing that carries satisfaction in life. If not writing, you may find her engrossed playing action games on her treasured smartphone.