Google Chrome Aggravates Microsoft Security Tool

Google’s Chrome security team has found that the free Microsoft Security Essentials antivirus software falsely identifies the Chrome browser as a piece of malware (PWS:Win32/Zbot) and boots it from users’ Windows PCs.

Affected users won’t be able to launch Chrome or load new web pages with the browser. Microsoft said on its malware protection Facebook page that it has already fixed the issue, but approximately 3,000 customers were impacted.

Manual update

“Affected customers should manually update Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) with the latest signatures. To do this, simply launch MSE, go to the update tab and click the Update button, and then reinstall Google Chrome,” the Facebook page states.

Mark Larson, an engineering manager for Chrome, noted that if Chrome works fine for users, they are unaffected and needn’t act.

Google, meanwhile, is releasing an update to automatically repair Chrome, but the company also released instructions to restore Chrome manually. See screenshots of the process here.

Just as Microsoft noted, before reinstalling Chrome, users must first update the signature files used by Microsoft Security Essentials on their computers. Users will then run Security Essentials by opening their Start menu, finding the Security Essentials programme and launching it.

When the application loads, users must click the Update tab and press the large Update button. Users will verify the update when it’s done by clicking the triangle next to Help, selecting About Security Essentials and verifying that the Antispyware definition is 1.113.672.0 or higher.

Users must then uninstall and reinstall Chrome. Users of Windows XP machines will start by going back to the control panel and double-clicking on Add or Remove Programs, selecting Chrome and clicking Remove.

Users may then confirm the removal, but Larson warns users should take care not to accidentally check the box prompting users to also delete their browsing data.

Reinstallation

Users may then go to www.google.com/chrome in another browser to download and install Chrome anew.

Windows 7 and Windows Vista users have it a little easier. They will click Start, pick Control Panel, click Programs, then Chrome, and click the Uninstall button at the top of the list. Finally, they will go to the Chrome download web page to reinstall the browser.

Of course, Google has already begun repairing Chrome for affected users so no action may need to be taken – unless Chrome won’t work for users.

Chrome, meanwhile, continues to gain traction, growing from 15.5 percent through August to 16.2 percent through September, according to browser tracker Net Applications.

Clint Boulton eWEEK USA 2012. Ziff Davis Enterprise Inc. All Rights Reserved

View Comments

Recent Posts

Amazon Workers In North Carolina Reject Unionisation

Workers at Amazon warehouse near Raleigh vote against joining union, as company continues to challenge…

12 hours ago

China President Xi Meets With Top Tech Leaders

High-profile meeting with tech leaders seen as signal China is boosting tech sector after years…

12 hours ago

South Korea To Buy 10,000 GPUs For National AI Hub

South Korea hopes to gain leg up in international AI race with infusion of private…

13 hours ago

BYD, Geely, Great Wall Add DeepSeek AI To EVs

Chinese electric vehicle giants rush to incorporate DeepSeek AI tech to cars after it creates…

13 hours ago

South Korea Suspends DeepSeek From App Stores

South Korean data authority suspends Chinese AI start-up DeepSeek from Apple, Google app stores while…

14 hours ago

Google Puts ‘Profits Over Privacy’ With Tracking Change

Privacy advocates criticise Google over decision to allow companies to track users via digital fingerprints,…

14 hours ago