Have you ever received a threat secured message from an antivirus or the Windows defender which says, “Thread secured, we’ve safely locked this file in quarantine Win32:BogEnt” while running verified applications like Steam? If yes, then the antivirus has probably detected some false-positive suspicious files.
A false-positive threat usually means that, while antivirus detects the file as a “threat,” it is not capable of causing any harm to the computer. However, there are cases where this threat is genuine and must be deleted immediately.
In this article, you can learn what the threat means for you, i.e. is it a false-positive or a genuine threat and what you can do to fix the false-positive threat alert.
Table of Contents
What is Win32:BogEnt?
An antivirus program performs a heuristic analysis to detect any suspicious files from an application or software. Similarly, Win32:BogEnt is a threat message the user will get when the antivirus performs a heuristic analysis.
When you get the Win32:BogEnt threat message from a file, the antivirus moves the file to a quarantine folder. A quarantine folder is where antivirus or the Windows defender holds malware-infected files. Therefore, you cannot run the application unless you remove said file from the quarantine folder.
However, if this file is malware, it is best to delete this file right away.
How to know if Win32:BogEnt File is a False-Positive Threat?
One way to know if the threat Win32:BogEnt is genuine or a false positive is by checking where the threat originates. If the alert message indicates that the threat is detected from a verified or digitally signed application, it is most likely a false positive.
If that is not the case, there may be some malware in your system causing the antivirus to detect this threat. However, even if the threat may originate from a verified application, you need to ensure that these files are not infected.
Here are a few solutions to check if the file is infected or if the threat is a false positive.
Check File Integrity
Checking the integrity in this context means checking a file or a website for any malicious activity. If our antivirus warns us about a malicious file from a genuine or digitally signed app, you should first check the file’s integrity.
There are numerous web applications available that scan files using multiple antivirus software and provide a detailed report on the scan.
If the majority of this antivirus software reports that the Win32:BogEnt threat is undetected, the threat is most likely a false positive.
How to Remove Win32:BogEnt Threat Message?
Once you have verified that the file is not a threat, you can simply restore it to its original location. However, on restoring this file, the antivirus can again alert us about the threat. Therefore, you need to create an exception for the application.
Create an Exception
If the antivirus alerts the pop-up saying that a file can be malicious but you are certain of the authenticity of the file, creating an exception will exclude these “malicious“ files from any scans.
Open your antivirus and search for settings named as exception, exclude files or manage threats.
Perform Clean Scan
Once you have created an exception, it is now time to perform a complete scan. When performing a complete scan, the antivirus may even detect another file as a threat with the same name, i.e. Win32:BogEnt. If so, you can be sure that this is a real threat and needs to be dealt with immediately.
Once the antivirus detects a virus, it automatically relocates the file to quarantine or a Virus Chest. The antivirus encrypts the infected file and moves it to a secure folder so that it does not infect/harm any other files. The best action would be to delete these files.
Scan With Windows Defender
After you have made sure that the file’s authenticity is genuine, you can run the Windows Defender to ensure that the file/ application does not pose any risk to the Operating System.
You can follow these steps to perform a full scan using Windows Defender.
- Press the Windows key + I to open Settings.
- Go to Privacy & Security > Windows Security > Open Windows Security.
- Here, click on Virus & threat protection.
- Scroll down and click on Scan options.
- Check Full scan, then click on Scan now.
- Once the process is complete, the Windows Defender will display any error from the source file if it detects any malicious file.
Update Antivirus
If we have a case of a false positive Win32:BogEnt threat message, we can also try updating the antivirus software to the latest version. Once updated, it may fix the issue with any such messages.
To update the antivirus software, open the application and search for “Update,” “Live update,” “Check for updates,” or something of sorts.
Change Antivirus Software
If you are certain that the threat-alert message is definitely a false positive, you can use different antivirus software to check if it still gives the same alert message. Another antivirus software may not detect the Win32:BogEnt false-positive threat, as it is not a threat but only a suspicious file.
Win32:BogEnt false-positive alert is mostly common with Avast and AVG. Although these are great options, Kaspersky, Norton, Webroot can be a good alternative as well.
Uninstall Antivirus
Although this is not recommended, you can uninstall the antivirus that is causing the false positive error message. Once removed, you will not get any error/alert message that says Wind32:BogEnt.
However, when you remove antivirus software from the computer, the system will be prone to malware attacks, viruses, and trojans.
You can follow these steps to uninstall the antivirus software,
- Press the Windows Key and open the Control Panel.
- Make sure that View by is set to Large icons and click on Program and Feature.
- Here, you will see a list of all applications installed on your computer.
- Search for the antivirus. Right-click on it and select Uninstall.
However since antivirus works on system level, you may not be able to remove it from program and features. Some will have to be manually uninstalled via their installation wizard.
Boot into Safe Mode
When you boot into safe mode, the OS runs minimal drivers (like basic display driver) and software so that the component do not conflict with each other. Using safe mode, the suspected malicious file cannot operate and hence, you can easily delete this file. However, you need to know the location of this file first before you delete them.
To know the location, check the error message that pops up. Here you can see the details of the message including the file location.
Once you know its location, you can boot the computer in Safe mode. You can follow these steps to boot the computer in safe mode.
In Windows 10,
- Press the Windows + I key simultaneously.
- Go to Update & Security.
- Click on Recovery.
- Under Advanced Startup, Click on Restart now.
In Windows 11,
- Press the Windows + I and go to System.
- Click on Recovery
- Under Advanced Startup, Click on Restart now.
Once the computer restarts, you will be prompted to Advanced Troubleshoot Options. Now. follow these steps.
- Go to Troubleshoot Options > Advanced options > Startup Settings.
- Click on Restart.
- Again, once the PC restarts, press 5 or F5 to start your PC in Safe Mode with networking.
- Now, locate the file that is causing the Win32:BogEnt error message and remove it.
