phillight2000

Neophyte

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9 Messages

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294 Points

Sat, Apr 9, 2022 2:38 AM

Mystery file reported as no threat

I keep getting these Trend popups that say something like "no threats found in cd49725f-0221-4cf3-85d3-ca9e68d2c2df" (this is the latest one). I've not clicked on or otherwise downloaded any files. Is my machine infected with malware?

Responses

tm_rochelle

Legend

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749 Messages

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13.4K Points

4 m ago

Hi phillight2000,

To further check this, can you please provide us the following information:

1. Trend Micro Security version:
2. Exact Error message if any
3. Screenshots of the problem if possible

Awaiting for your response.

- TM_Rochelle

phillight2000

Neophyte

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9 Messages

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294 Points

@tm_rochelle

Sorry, just now seeing this.

Version: 17.7.1472

There is no error message - just a little Trend popup in the lower-right of the screen that says something to the effect that no thread was detected in a file with a very long filename. Maddeningly, it only appears for a second or two and then disappears. It's so fast (and rare) that I haven't been able to screen-capture it or even read it carefully. Is there a log of such notifications?

1 m ago

phillight2000

Neophyte

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9 Messages

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294 Points

And, thanks.

1 m ago

agrier1972

Neophyte

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3 Messages

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150 Points

3 m ago

Hi Phillight2000,

I have been getting the same popup messages, but the numbers are different every time and it is impossible to snap a pic of it because I am either in a game or working on a Word document etc.. before I can get to it. I thought by clicking on it, but would stop it from going away, but it does not.

tm_angelo

Superstar

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445 Messages

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8.6K Points

Hi agrier1972,

I have sent you an email where we can continue the troubleshooting, please confirm if you have received it. Thanks!

Awaiting for your response.

- TM_Angelo

3 m ago

aekerek

Neophyte

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1 Message

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70 Points

What was the outcome of this?

1 m ago

phillight2000

Neophyte

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9 Messages

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294 Points

@agrier1972 Hi, sorry for the long delay in answering. This is not resolved. I am still getting these alerts every day or two - but it's just too brief to react to it or even read it carefully.

1 m ago

tm_kim

Legend

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682 Messages

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10.1K Points

Hi, aekerek and phillight2000.

These detections might be coming from the hash values of your downloaded files or extensions. Rest assured that your devices are safe.

For better investigation, are you able to check the exact location of these files? Let us know in case you have any idea. You can also check if these files are on your Downloads folder.

By the way, I emailed both of you. Let us assist you from there.

- TM_Kim

1 m ago

agrier1972

Neophyte

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3 Messages

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150 Points

@tm_kim

Hi, I am not able to tell where they are coming from nor am I able to located where the files went. They only show up in the pop up window and no other location.

1 m ago

phillight2000

Neophyte

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9 Messages

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294 Points

1 m ago

This is the big frustration. It is impossible to identify what file the alert is referring to. The alert is unexpected and so brief that I don't even have time to read through it completely. It pops up, and then a second later, pops back down. I don't even have enough time to screenshot it - my reaction time is too slow. The concern is that this alert occurs at a time when NOTHING has been recently downloaded - at least not intentionally. Basically, it's saying "That file that you just downloaded appears to be safe" but my natural reaction is "WHAT FILE?! I haven't downloaded anything! What are you talking about?!"

(edited)

tm_kim

Legend

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682 Messages

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10.1K Points

We understand your frustrations, phillight2000 and agrier1972.

We would like to further investigate your case. Kindly send us a reply and let us assist you from there.

- TM_Kim

1 m ago

fedebuch

Neophyte

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3 Messages

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120 Points

22 d ago

I'm getting the same popups. It's really maddening. Like phillight2000 says, there's no way of knowing where the file is, where it was downloaded from, etc. The popups are annoying, but what really worries me are the supposed files I've been downloading. Please help, and please make the solution public.

tm_kath

Legend

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683 Messages

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10.9K Points

Hi @fedebuch and Community members,

Welcome to Trend Micro Home Users Community!

Notifications you receive are ways of the Trend Micro program to let you know that the files you downloaded are safe.

The notifications should only appear when you download a file. To check if this is caused by browser scripts, please try to clear your browser cache and let us know the result.

Here's a guide on how to clear browser cache:

How to clear web browser cache on Windows

If you would like to stop seeing this pop-up, you may click the Do not show this again hyperlink when it appears.

To further investigate what causes the issue, we'll be glad if you can provide the following information:
- Browser you are using:
- Website you visiting or activities on your computer when the notification appears:

- TM_Kath

21 d ago

fedebuch

Neophyte

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3 Messages

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120 Points

Hi Kath,

Thank you for your reply. I actually want to keep seeing that pop-up, but only when I download an actual file. As mentioned by others above, the issue is that it's showing up when we're not downloading anything. (Even if I did want to stop seeing the pop-up, it comes and goes so fast that there's no time to click the 'Do not show this again' hyperlink.)

Please read phillight2000's post above from 14 days ago for more details. I'm experiencing exactly the same as them.

I'm using Chrome Version 103.0.5060.134 (Official Build) (64-bit). There are no specific websites where the pop-up shows up, it's just random.

20 d ago

phillight2000

Neophyte

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9 Messages

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294 Points

@tm_kath The problem is that this event is timed to be so brief that there is barely time to read it, let alone respond. Is there, or is there not a log file somewhere that records these alerts so that they can be investigated thoroughly? It's as if, several times a day, you hear someone yell "Look out!," but never learn what the threat is. I typically have 10 or more tabs open in one or two instances of Chrome. Most of them are business-related pages, like Google Drive directories, Zoom-meeting windows, Yahoo Mail, or Gmail. But it varies. I "clear my cache" regularly, and this has no effect on this phenomenon. My question stands. Where are these security alerts logged? If they are not, why not?

20 d ago

tm_kath

Legend

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683 Messages

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10.9K Points

Hi @fedebuch and @phillight2000,

Let us further investigate what causes the issue.

Kindly observe and let us know what specific website is open when the notification appears?

Can you also please check if there are any unfinished downloads when the notification appears?

Check if there are recently downloaded files.
Get the file name and link where the file is being downloaded.

- TM_Kath

19 d ago

tm_kath

Legend

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683 Messages

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10.9K Points

@phillight2000, there are no logs of the notifications because the purpose of these notifications is just to let you know that the files downloaded on your device are safe.

We can take your query as feedback and will pass it to our Developers. Cheers!

- TM_Kath

19 d ago

phillight2000

Neophyte

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9 Messages

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294 Points

19 d ago

I got this request in an email:

"Can you also please check if there are any unfinished downloads when the notification appears?

1. Check if there are recently downloaded files.
2. Get the file name and link where the file is being downloaded."

That is no small task. I use my computer for business. I may have 20 or more windows open at any one time. I have at least three instances of Google Chrome open. One instance will have a couple of tabs open with my two most often referred-to Google Docs or Airtable spreadsheets open.

Another is a personal browser - which currently has 28 tabs open: Yahoo Mail (this tab), Trend Micro community, Quora, Facebook, whitewall.com (a company where I order large-scale photographic prints), gaulard.com (an Adobe Photoshop discussion forum), Yahoo News, Daily Wire News, Google Drive, Etsy, Dropbox, Wikipedia, Storyworth, 2-3 airtable documents, Signwell (like DocuSign), the back end of our non-profit's website, petapixel.com and sso.teachable.com (photoshop articles).

Another instance is a business-only browser that currently has 21 tabs open - almost all of them are Google Docs, but also two different business Gmail accounts and my Google Calendar.

I have five folders open on my task bar, also Excel, Photoshop, Adobe Acrobat, Slack, Microsoft Teams and a Zoom window.

As you can see, "Check if there are recently downloaded files." and "Get the file name and link where the file is being downloaded" are difficult tasks. I'm very busy and rely on quality software to monitor my computer for unsafe files.

My online hygiene is good. I don't click on random links on Facebook, I don't visit sketchy websites. I never open unknown executables or attachments. The solution seems to be to fix the Trend software so that it provides meaningful information when an alert is triggered. Right now, it's like someone screaming "DANGER, DANGER!" without pointing to the actual danger.

Also, since others are having this same issue, I prefer to keep the discussions public so they can benefit as well, without having to jump through a bunch of hoops or duplicating what I'm doing. This is all very time-consuming.

tm_kath

Legend

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683 Messages

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10.9K Points

Hi @phillight2000,

We appreciate your time in sharing your experience.

It truly requires time and effort to gather the information we requested. Gathering of information needed is now up to investigate what causes the issue.

We'll keep you posted for any updates.

- TM_Kath

17 d ago

phillight2000

Neophyte

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9 Messages

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294 Points

Well, one issue is to write the software better so it provides meaningful alerts instead of secretive warning flashes that aren't helpful in looking for the problem. Or even determining IF there is a problem.

17 d ago

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