A generic detection has identified a program or file that has features or behaviors similar to known harmful programs, such as trojans, backdoors or exploits.
Generic detections are broad patterns of code or behavior that are used by security software to identify programs or files. If you suspect the detected file has been incorrectly identified, go to: Removal: Handling a False Positive.
Based on the settings of your F-Secure security product, it will either automatically delete, quarantine or rename the detected program or file, or ask you for a desired action.
Security programs will sometimes unintentionally identify a clean program or file as malicious if its code or behavior is similar to a known harmful program or file. This is known as a False Positive. In most cases, a False Positive is fixed in a subsequent database release. If you suspect the detected file is a False Positive, you can:
Usually, updating your F-Secure security product to use the latest database is enough to resolve the issue. You can check by first updating your F-Secure security product to use the latest detection database updates, then rescanning the file.
After checking, if you still believe the file is incorrectly detected, you can submit a sample of it to F-Secure Labs for re-analysis.
NOTE If the file was moved to quarantine, you will need to first collect the file from quarantine before you can submit it.
If you are certain that the file is safe and want to continue using it, you can exclude it from further scanning by the F-Secure security product.
Find the latest advice in our Community Knowledge Base.
See the manual for your F-Secure product on the Help Center.
Submit a file or URL for further analysis.
Detections are recognizable patterns of code or behavior that are used by security software to identify files or programs. Generic detections are broad patterns of code or behavior that are used by security software to identify files or programs with suspicious or harmful code or actions.
When the security program runs a scan, it compares all the files on the device against a database of detections. If any of the files being scanned matches a detection, it is flagged for further attention.
The name of the generic detection will usually indicate the reason why the program or file was flagged:
The program or file performed, or can perform, harmful actions.
Examples of generic detections that do this include:
The program or file has code that is very similar to known harmful programs.
Examples of generic detections that do this include:
A crack file is a specially-crafted program that is used to bypass the protection mechanisms of recently released games and other popular applications.
While not strictly harmful, in some countries such files may be considered illegal. In addition, such files may be distributed bundled together with other unsolicited or outrightly malicious files.
Temporary mailbox data files that use the .EDB file extension and are stored at the 'C:\WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution\DataStore\Logs\' location (they would typically be named 'tmp.edb' or similar) may be unintentionally detected by various security programs from time to time if they behave in a similar manner to known malware.
Once a program or file is flagged, the security program will usually take action, either as a precaution or to handle the file directly. The specific action taken depends on the type of file, and the settings of your security program. For example, a trojan may be deleted while a monitoring-tool may be blocked.
If you suspect the detected file has been incorrectly identified, go to: Removal: Resolve a False Positive.
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