Dealing with False Positives: Reporting Issues to Antivirus Vendors

False positives can be a frustrating experience for users of antivirus software. Imagine you’re working on an important project or downloading a harmless file, only to have your antivirus flag it as a potential threat. While antivirus software plays a crucial role in protecting our systems, false positives can sometimes occur due to various reasons. However, the good news is that many antivirus vendors actively encourage users to report false positives they encounter, helping improve the accuracy of their detection systems. In this blog post, we will provide a list of popular antivirus vendors and their websites, where you can easily submit false positives for investigation.

Understanding False Positives
Before we dive into the process of reporting false positives, let’s briefly understand what they are. False positives refer to instances where antivirus software mistakenly identifies a legitimate file or application as malicious. This can happen due to several reasons, including outdated virus definitions, heuristics, or even the presence of certain file characteristics that resemble malware patterns. While false positives are an unfortunate side effect of stringent security measures, antivirus vendors are continually working to minimize them through user feedback and technological advancements.

Reporting False Positives
If you encounter a false positive with your antivirus software, the best course of action is to report it to the respective vendor. By doing so, you contribute to the improvement of their detection systems and help prevent similar false positives for other users. Below is a list of some AV vendors and their websites where you can submit false positives:

When reporting false positives, be prepared to provide relevant details such as the name of the antivirus software, the specific file or application being flagged, and any supporting information or documentation that can help the vendor investigate the issue more effectively. The more details you provide, the better equipped the vendor will be to address the false positive promptly. Please verify the vendor’s details before reporting false positives.

If you are an enterprise user and you came across a prevalent false alarm, you can report it afterwards also to us here.

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