MS Posts Support Note About Defender SFC /Scannow Errors

EdTittel said:

According to this document, one needs version 4.18.1908 of the Antimalware platform to avoid this error.

Great find Ed!

I'm encouraged that MS has updated what had previously been it's open ended announcement:

...Windows Defender version 4.18.1906.3 and later versions.

to this:

...Windows Defender version 4.18.1906.3 and later versions up to version 4.8.1908.


Both my machines, like yours, are still on 4.18.1907.4-0. Unfortunately, I too have never found a way to force the latest Defender platform updates, instead having to wait, eventually my machines getting them within hours usually between 3 and 4 weeks of the last one.

Again as always, thanks for having your ear so close to the ground on this one. ;o) .

Nice to get some new information on this. Many thanks @EdTittel for finding it. Earlier MS documents said a fix would be in "future releases of Windows". I just checked the Microsoft Update Catalog for KB4052623 which is the Antimalware Platform version and it's still showing 4.18.1907.4 which I'm also on. I guess we wait for Windows Update.

@EdTittle

I am curious about their wording however...

It does not say the problem occurs only with Windows Defender version 4.18.1906.3 and later versions up to but not including version 4.8.1908. And reading the statement it says the problem of hash corruption is fixed 'After this update is applied...'

Naturally pessimistic with any MS statements, I'm wondering if it will take another cycle AFTER this one to see the fix?

Unfortunately from experience I've found I can be overly skeptical with these things, and yet often a good thing , being pleasantly surprised when my dire predictions come up short.

EdTittel said:

See this note for Microsoft's explanation of the Defender PowerShell script issue that leads SFC /scannow to return hash value mismatch errors for those files .... According to this document, one needs version 4.18.1908 of the Antimalware platform to avoid this error.

I've seen that document many times before, but until now it had no 'Resolution' section. That must be a very new addition, the note at the bottom say "Last Updated: 17 Aug 2019". That date being a Saturday, I suspect we'll have to wait until the working week starts in Redmond before 4.18.1908 get put up on the update servers.

I'm at 18362.295 on my 3 PC's and they all have that 4.18.1908 folder and when sfc /scannow is run, there is no error conditions thrown up.

Ηow did you get the release 4.18.1908 ?