Defender flags the latest version of Viber as malicious, but there's a fix coming soon

Viber is a popular messaging app, and it’s available on multiple platforms, including PC.

However, there are reports by users saying that Windows Defender labels Viber as a potentially unwanted app, so we decided to investigate these claims further.

Windows Defender marks Viber as an unwanted application, here’s what you should know

This is a recent issue, and it was been reported on the Viber subreddit a few days ago. Naturally, users were concerned, but the good news is that developers are already working on this issue.

I got the same and i deleted viber as of now and created a support ticket. Let’s see what happens…

Edit: Support team told that they are trying to fix the issue ASAP.

Many are speculating that the problem was caused by a recent Viber update:

i think its something having to with an update bc i remember some days ago viber wanted to an update also my windows defender found whatever this is in everything that has to do with viber, vuber updates etc

Users speculate that this is likely due to data-collecting features in Viber:

I think that it probably has to do with them adding more and more ads in viber. As I understand this “PUA:Win32/Softcnapp” collects data in order to provide personalized ads. But this is just my thought on the matter.

More proactive users scan the file with additional scanners, and it seems that only Microsoft is listing it as malicious, thus making it most likely a false positive:

I just downloaded the install from viber.com and scanned it on virustotal.com but it says only Microsoft listed it as malicious. (PUA:Win32/Softcnapp to be exact)

One user claims Rakuten Viber personnel recommended updating antivirus definitions by following these steps. This worked for several users:

Please update the security signature files in your Windows Security settings as a workaround.

Select Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Select Check for updates (or Virus & threat protection updates in previous versions of Windows) > Under Security Intelligence, select Check for updates

If nothing else works, you can always get a previous version from a reliable third-party source and use it instead:

I just uninstall it and roll back to the latest safe version which is the Viber 21.9.

While this seems concerning, it’s most likely a false positive, and updating the security definitions should fix the problem.

If you’re concerned about your security, you’ll be pleased to hear that Microsoft Copilot for Security will be released soon, so you might want to look into it.