"Threats Found" in Windows Security — What It Means

FreeTechSupport Team Updated Jun 15, 2026 2 min read

Seeing "Threats found" in Windows Security can feel alarming, but it's often much less serious than it sounds. Windows Security is very good at catching threats before they cause harm — the fact that it found something is actually the system working as intended.

What Do the Threat Labels Mean?

Severe / High

These are serious threats — ransomware, trojans, or programmes designed to steal information or give someone remote access to your machine. Take immediate action: choose Remove and then restart your computer and run another scan to confirm they're gone.

Medium

Usually adware (programmes that show unwanted ads), browser hijackers, or tools that can be misused. Remove these — they may not be immediately dangerous but they slow your computer down and erode your privacy.

Low

Often labelled as PUA (Potentially Unwanted Application). These are programmes that aren't strictly malware but behave in unwanted ways — bundled software, toolbars, or utilities that change settings without clearly asking. Remove them unless you're sure you want them.

What to Do Step by Step

Open Windows Security > Virus & threat protection.
Under Current threats, review what was found.
Click Start actions or click each threat and choose Remove or Quarantine.
Restart your computer.
Run a second Full scan to confirm nothing else is present.

Quarantine vs Remove — What's the Difference?

Quarantine isolates the file so it can't do anything, but keeps it in case it turns out to be a false alarm. Remove deletes it permanently. For anything you don't recognise, Remove is the right call. If you later find a legitimate programme has stopped working, you can check the quarantine history and restore the file.

Don't be alarmed by the name alone. Threat names like "Trojan:Win32/Wacatac.B!ml" sound frightening but Windows Security has already blocked and contained it. Follow the removal steps calmly — you don't need to pay anyone or call a number to fix this.

What If the Threat Keeps Coming Back?

If the same threat reappears after removal, it may be hiding in a location that regular scans miss. Try an offline scan: go to Scan options > Microsoft Defender Antivirus (offline scan). This runs before Windows fully loads, catching threats that hide during normal operation.

Still seeing it after an offline scan? Ask us — we can help identify the source.

Frequently asked questions

It depends on the type of threat. For most adware and low-severity detections, your passwords and banking details are very unlikely to be affected. If the threat was classified as Severe or was a type called 'infostealer', 'keylogger', or 'spyware', it's worth changing your important passwords as a precaution, especially if the infection had been present for a while before being detected.

This is called a false positive. If you're confident the file is legitimate (for example, a programme from a well-known company), click the threat in Windows Security and choose Allow. You can also submit it to Microsoft as a false positive from the Windows Security app under Protection history. Only do this if you're genuinely certain the file is safe.

Comments (0)

Be the first to leave a comment.