Forum Discussion
Is this "Music" app Windows Defender Firewall flagged actually malware?
I have a Windows 10 PC that I hadn't used in a while. When I booted it up recently, I got a popup saying Windows Defender Firewall blocked some features of an application called "Music." I don't remember installing anything by that name, and the publisher field just said "TODO: <company name>," which seems sketchy.
I ran some malware scans and nothing came up. I tried uninstalling it through Settings, but it asked me to run "unins000.exe," and I'm not comfortable running an .exe from a source I don't recognize. I wanted to check it against an online virus scanner, but my PC currently has no internet, so that's not an option right now.
Is this likely malware, or could it be something legitimate? And what's the safest way to get rid of it?
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A Windows Defender Firewall prompt for an application named “Music” is not, by itself, proof of malware. It means a process requested network communication and Windows is asking whether to allow it on the selected network type. Because you do not recognize the app, do not allow it yet. In Task Manager, right-click the process and choose Open file location, then inspect the file’s Properties and Digital Signatures tab. A legitimate Microsoft-signed executable in an expected Windows or Microsoft app location is different from an unknown unsigned file in a temporary or user-writable folder. Run a full Defender scan after updating security intelligence, and scan the specific file from its context menu. If anything remains suspicious, run Microsoft Defender Offline; save open work first because it restarts the PC. Remove only software you can identify in Settings, and keep the firewall rule blocked until the process’s publisher and location are verified.
