It's been a strange past two days for Microsoft. Online security company Sophos criticized the Redmond software giant's recent Windows 8 developer preview on Friday for its lackluster anti-virus detection. A new security flub involving Internet Explorer rival Google Chrome, however, could easily be mistaken as overcompensation.
Microsoft revealed on Friday that a programming error led to a case of mistaken identity. Google's up-and-coming Chrome web browser was misidentified as the dangerous Win32/Zbot trojan - AKA Zeus.
The company confirmed the blunder and quickly issued an explanation - and apology - to those affected in an update at its Malware Protection Center:
On September 30th, 2011, an incorrect detection for PWS:Win32/Zbot was identified and as a result, Google Chrome was inadvertently blocked and in some cases removed. Within a few hours, Microsoft released an update that addresses the issue. Signature versions 1.113.672.0 and higher include this update. Affected customers should manually update Microsoft Security Essentials with the latest signatures. After updating the definitions, reinstall Google Chrome. We apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused our customers.
Microsoft said only 3,000 people were affected, adding that it "continues to evaluate telemetry records."
While the mistake was almost certainly an honest one, it didn't stop a few jokers from having some fun with the eyebrow-raising error. According to Kaspersky Labs' Threat Post blog, some Twitter users framed the misstep as the company firing a shot across Google's bow.
Google took the false positive in stride, releasing its own FAQ guide for affected Chrome users. The company also promised an automatic repair update would be ready within the next day or so. (via Threat Post)
Was your copy of Chrome deleted or flagged as malware by Microsoft? Let us know in the comment section.
