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Published May 17, 2011 | Updated Sep 15, 2017

Win32/Defmid

Detected by Microsoft Defender Antivirus

Aliases: Security Central (other) Antimalware Tool (other) Antivirus Center (other) Antivirus Pro (other) Internet Defender (other) Internet Protection (other) Security Defender 2011 (other) System Defender (other) Trojan.Win32.FakeAV.atuz (Kaspersky) W32/FakeAlert.CJWW (Norman) FakeAV.KKM (AVG) TROJ_FAKEALER.FR (Trend Micro) TR/FakeAV.atuz (Avira) Trojan.FakeAV (Ikarus) Trojan.Downloader.NSIS.FakeAlert.C (BitDefender) FakeAlert.a (McAfee) Security Center (other) Security Defender (other)

Summary

Windows Defender Antivirus detects and removes this threat. 

Rogue:Win32/Defmid is a trojan that mimics security alerts and displays messages requesting the user to purchase the rogue to fix "detected" problems that in actuality don't exist.

you can find out more about rogues from our Rogue information page.

Find out ways that malware can get on your PC.

The following free Microsoft software detects and removes this threat:

Even if we've already detected and removed this particular threat, running a full scan might find other malware that is hiding on your PC.

Get more help

You can also see our advanced troubleshooting page for more help.

If you’re using Windows XP, see our Windows XP end of support page.

Remove program exceptions in the firewall

This threat might add itself to your Windows Firewall exception list. This means it can go online without being blocked. To remove it from the exception list, do the following:

For Windows 8.1:

  1. Open Windows Firewall by swiping in from the right edge of the screen, tapping Search (or if you're using a mouse, pointing to the upper-right corner of the screen, moving the mouse pointer down, and then clicking Search), entering firewall in the search box, tapping or clicking Settings, and then tapping or clicking Windows Firewall.
  2. In the left pane, tap or click Allow an app or feature through Windows Firewall.
  3. Tap or click Change settings. You might be asked for an admin password or to confirm your choice.
  4. Select the check box next to the app you want to allow, select the network types you want to allow communication on, and then click OK.

For Windows 7:

  1. Click Start, select Control Panel, then System and Security.
  2. Select Windows Firewall.
  3. On the menu on the left, select Allow a program through Windows Firewall. If you're prompted, type the password or provide confirmation.
  4. Click Change Settings. If you're prompted, type the password or provide confirmation.
  5. Select <program name> from the list of allowed programs and features. Click Remove.
  6. Click OK.

For Windows Vista:

  1. Click Start, select Control Panel, then Security Center.
  2. On the menu on the left, select Windows Firewall.
  3. On the menu on the left, select Allow a program through Windows Firewall. If you are prompted, type the password or provide confirmation.
  4. Select <program name> from the list of allowed programs and features. Click Delete.
  5. Click OK.
Additional remediation instructions for this threat

This threat might make lasting changes to your PC's settings that won't be restored when it's cleaned. The following steps can help change these settings back to what you want:

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