Microsoft asks users to ignore 'Antivirus is turned off' errors

August 31, 2026 · BleepingComputer · Severity: MEDIUM

Microsoft asked customers this week to ignore alerts that Defender Antivirus has been turned off after installing the latest Defender updates.

Key Takeaways

Microsoft has acknowledged a bug causing false 'Antivirus is turned off' alerts in Defender after recent updates.
Users are advised to ignore these erroneous notifications as they do not indicate a real security issue.
The issue stems from the latest Defender updates, and Microsoft is likely working on a fix.