Microsoft Defender showing with special looking characters

de Fisser, Winifred 5 Reputation points
2026-10-21T13:04:22.55+00:00

Why is Microsoft Defender is showing up in Task Manager with special characters spelling out Microsoft Defender?

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Microsoft Security | Microsoft Defender | Other
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  1. T. F 0 Reputation points
    2026-11-06T14:41:18.7966667+00:00

    I have the exact same issue.

    Our IT ran several scans, also checking if the service that is being run by this task is the legitimate ATP service. Nothing suspicious found. They came to the conclusion that this has to be a display bug in the name of this sensor version, but it feels strange, still.

    Has anyone found a different explanation for this?

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  2. Said A 1,126 Reputation points
    2026-10-28T14:11:51.1233333+00:00

    Hello @de Fisser, Winifred ,

    That indeed looks abnormal,

    I would assume that your question is about Windows Defender, and that this behavior can happen because of a malicious scheduled task, startup entry, browser extension, compromised application, or another infected device or network location reintroducing a malware.

    Check these ressources out:

    Otherwise, lookup relevant help articles by doing a search here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/help-and-support

    Regards,

    Said

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