CODEWITHSUNDEEP
pythonpyinstallerpublisherwindows-defender
No Braves Studio
No Braves Studio

Reputation: 171

Pyinstaller .exe throws Windows Defender [no publisher]

I developed a Python code and I converted it to an .exe with pyinstaller but the problem is that there is no publisher so each time a computer runs my program, Windows Defender throws an alert that says that there is no publisher so the program is not sure...

Does anyone know how to change the publisher of an .exe from none to something or how to implement Publisher in pyinstaller?

Upvotes: 10

Views: 20002

Answers (2)

BuvinJ
BuvinJ

Reputation: 11076

The short answer is that this has nothing to do with PyInstaller. It's a general issue with any exe in recent versions of Windows. You need to "code sign" your exe's now. It's really a money making scheme masked as a security enhancement.

As an example, you can purchase a cert from DigiCert. They're one of the big authorizing agents which MS will recognize automatically. https://www.digicert.com/code-signing

Or Google "code signing" for other options.

You can also self-sign for free. Check out this SO post: Signing a Windows EXE file

The problem with self-signing is that the user has to install your custom key first to recognize your signed exes. But... there are some tricks to silently install that first, if you want to go through the hassle to save a few bucks.

Upvotes: 10

hello-world-2021
hello-world-2021

Reputation: 11

This is a known False Positive with Windows Defender. This happens to my files as well when tested on a Windows 10 VM, and it happens to others as well. Also, Windows Defender 'Smartscreen' may block any unsigned file even when using another Antivirus, but you should be able to click more information and then continue

You can exclude the file from Windows Defender, but the best solution is to use another antivirus, as Windows Defender is not very good anyway. (that is not just based on my experience but off AV tests) I am not sure what other antivirues have the same False Positive, but I know there are a few.

You also could test on a VM, where you could disable Windows Defender and Smartscreen, while leaving it enabled on your host system. (VirtualBox is a great free VM software for Windows)

Upvotes: 1

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