Microsoft Defender has caused a stir after its security system\nincorrectly identified Google Search links as dangerous threats. As a\nresult, numerous Microsoft 365 users experienced difficulties opening\nGoogle search links shared via email or Microsoft Teams.<\/p>\n
The issue occurred on 2 September 2026 and was related to the Safe\nLinks feature within Microsoft Defender for Office 365. The incident,\nrecorded under code MO14465962, lasted approximately seven and\na half hours before Microsoft announced that the problem had been\nresolved.<\/p>\n
Safe Links is a security feature in Microsoft Defender for Office 365\ndesigned to inspect URLs before users open them, protecting against\nphishing, malware, and other cyber threats. However, on this occasion,\nthe system misread several legitimate Google Search links as being\nunsafe.<\/p>\n
Users attempting to open these links received a warning stating,\n\u201cOpening this website might not be safe,\u201d and access to the URLs was\nblocked. According to TechSpot, the issue was not limited to links\nopened via email or Teams; Safe Links protection also affected access\nwhen links were opened through external browsers.<\/p>\n
While Microsoft Defender issued security warnings, Google Search did\nnot actually contain malware. This incident was a \u2018false positive\u2019\u2014a\ncondition where a security system incorrectly identifies safe content as\na threat. Microsoft confirmed the cause was an \u201cinaccurate security\nclassification\u201d within the Defender threat detection process.<\/p>\n
Microsoft has since rectified the issue and stated that the incident\nwas resolved on 2 September 2026 at 10:17 UTC. Nevertheless, the company\nwarned that some users might still experience temporary effects as the\nfix is rolled out across the entire service infrastructure. Microsoft\nalso intends to review the URL reputation classification process within\nDefender to prevent similar errors from recurring.<\/p>\n
This incident highlights that even automated security systems are not\nentirely free from detection errors, even when targeting internet\nservices used in daily life.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/microsoft-defender-false-positive-google-search-flagged-as-dangerous-1788591095", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }