Forum Discussion

MCT

Jan 13, 2023

Solved

Antivirus deletes all shortcuts from the desktop

After this morning's update of security intelligence to version 1.381.2140.0, defender is deleting on all clients all links to applications; does anyone have the same problem?

yongrheemsft
Jan 14, 2023
https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-defender-for-endpoint/recovering-from-attack-surface-reduction-rule-shortcut-deletions/ba-p/3716011

sjansen

Brass Contributor

Jan 13, 2023

Brad_Stephenson1580there is no solution that MS can solve for you. You have to reinstall, repair or update your application, installers normally recreates the startmenu links. Fun part: several other types of files "may" be deleted, we saw js/cs/Windows Store Apps and lots of xml killed by Defenders ASR.

yongrheemsft

Microsoft

Jan 13, 2023

A group of MVPs has published a PS script to restore the .lnks on GitHub https://github.com/InsideTechnologiesSrl/DefenderBug/blob/main/W11-RestoreLinks.ps1

JILALU360
Copper Contributor
Mar 03, 2023
jilaljaman
Brad_Stephenson1580
Copper Contributor
Jan 13, 2023
This is a great starting point yongrheemsft. Thanks. I thought that maybe there was a cached version of the Start Menu somewhere, but I guess not.
- yongrheemsft
  Microsoft
  Jan 14, 2023
  https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-defender-for-endpoint/recovering-from-attack-surface-reduction-rule-shortcut-deletions/ba-p/3716011