My ASUS TUF A17 runs Windows 11 and had been working normally, but today search engines suddenly started showing frequent CAPTCHA challenges. One page also offered to translate from Maltese to English. The CAPTCHA issue stopped, but I ran a full Microsoft Defender scan anyway, which detected Trojan:Win32/Pomal!rfn in an executable located inside my Recycle Bin: C:$Recycle.Bin...FPSoftwareEGIbinEPackage.exe, including an embedded resource entry. I quarantined the detection and am running Microsoft Safety Scanner as a second check. I have not knowingly downloaded anything suspicious recently, aside from a browser dark-mode extension, a G-Helper update, and recent Windows updates. I also recently connected to Wi-Fi at a new workplace. This laptop had malware years ago, but Windows was professionally reinstalled and has been clean ever since. How can I determine whether this is a genuine infection or a false positive, and what steps should I take to make sure the threat is fully removed?
4 Answers
The CAPTCHA behavior and the Defender detection may be unrelated. Search engines sometimes challenge users because of activity from another device or customer on the same network, and browsers can occasionally guess a page’s language incorrectly. Since the detected file was inside the Recycle Bin and has been quarantined, let Microsoft Safety Scanner finish, then run another updated Defender scan. You can also test from a different network, such as a phone hotspot, if the CAPTCHA problem returns.
A clean reinstall is not automatically necessary for one quarantined detection, especially when the item was already in the Recycle Bin. Consider a reinstall if scans continue finding active malware, security settings are being changed, unknown accounts or programs appear, or you see persistent suspicious behavior. Otherwise, let the scans complete and monitor for recurring detections.
Both paths point into the Recycle Bin, which suggests the executable had already been deleted rather than actively running from its original location. Quarantining it is the right action. Empty the Recycle Bin after confirming you do not need anything there, keep Defender and Windows fully updated, and review installed browser extensions and recently installed programs for anything unfamiliar.
For a second opinion, restore or extract nothing from quarantine, but if Defender still allows access to the file, you can submit the file to a reputable multi-engine scanner such as VirusTotal. If nearly every engine considers it clean, it may be a false positive; if several independent engines detect it, treat it as malicious. Be aware that uploading a file shares it with the scanning service, so don’t upload anything containing personal data.
Microsoft’s false-positive rate varies by test and by year, so a single Defender alert does not prove the file is malicious. The result from a current multi-engine scan is more useful than an old general comparison.