Windows 11 detects a virus in my application

[mag_news]

Hi! I have already encountered a similar problem, then I managed to solve it by activating the "Unpacked EXE" checkbox.

But today again, Windows 11 immediately detects my application as a virus =(

Reading the forum, I found advice to disable "Compress at Runtime", but I could not find such option, apparently it was deleted.

Do you have any other advice?
Or is it about the extensions I am using?
Kernel object, window control, whether a key is pressed outside

I am making a program to display hotkeys on the screen.

[tobydavis]

Hi! I have already encountered a similar problem, then I managed to solve it by activating the "Unpacked EXE" checkbox.

But today again, Windows 11 immediately detects my application as a virus =(

Reading the forum, I found advice to disable "Compress at Runtime", but I could not find such option, apparently it was deleted.

Do you have any other advice?
Or is it about the extensions I am using?
Kernel object, window control, whether a key is pressed outside

I am making a program to display hotkeys on the screen.

You are correct, the "Compress the Runtime" option was removed a few years ago due to it only saving minimal space while increasing the likelihood of an application being falsely flagged as a virus. This was due to how the program decompressed the runtime at launch, a behavior which Windows and many antiviruses didn't like.

It seems you also already have "Unpacked EXE" checked, which is good.

When you say what Windows is detecting your application as a virus, do you mean that your antivirus is actually detecting the app and quarantining it? Or do you mean that you are getting a "Windows protected your PC" SmartScreen warning? If your antivirus is flagging your program, then you should submit a false positive report to them. If it is a Windows SmartScreen error, then this is not Windows "detecting it as a virus", it's simply a warning. You can still run the application by clicking "More info" and then clicking "Run anyway". New apps or apps that are not commonly downloaded are more likely to trigger SmartScreen. As far as I'm aware, the only way to prevent this warning from appearing is having enough people download and run it so that Windows sees it as a common application, or by signing your application with a code-signing certificate.

[mag_news]

You are correct, the "Compress the Runtime" option was removed a few years ago due to it only saving minimal space while increasing the likelihood of an application being falsely flagged as a virus. This was due to how the program decompressed the runtime at launch, a behavior which Windows and many antiviruses didn't like.

It seems you also already have "Unpacked EXE" checked, which is good.

When you say what Windows is detecting your application as a virus, do you mean that your antivirus is actually detecting the app and quarantining it? Or do you mean that you are getting a "Windows protected your PC" SmartScreen warning? If your antivirus is flagging your program, then you should submit a false positive report to them. If it is a Windows SmartScreen error, then this is not Windows "detecting it as a virus", it's simply a warning. You can still run the application by clicking "More info" and then clicking "Run anyway". New apps or apps that are not commonly downloaded are more likely to trigger SmartScreen. As far as I'm aware, the only way to prevent this warning from appearing is having enough people download and run it so that Windows sees it as a common application, or by signing your application with a code-signing certificate.

Windows writes in the notification on the right side of the screen that a threat has been detected and automatically moves the file to quarantine. In the log I see what it says: Trojan:Script/Wacatac.H!ml
Thanks for the reply! I would like to distribute the program for free through gamroad, but with this protection for Windows I think the feedback will be negative =(

Windows writes that the EXE file is a critical threat. (There "Unpacked EXE" checkbox is activated)
But if the "Unpacked EXE" checkbox is not activated, everything is normal. (In Windows 11)
But on virustotal the file with the checkmark is normal, and the file without the checkmark - allegedly contains viruses