Vendor False-Positive Removal Guides
// ANSWER
Every security vendor runs its own false-positive process. These guides give, per vendor, the exact portal or knowledge-base page where a website report is filed, what the report must contain, the turnaround the vendor states, and the reasons reports get rejected. unflagdomain covers 133 vendors in total; the guides below are the ones site owners ask about most.
| Vendor | Channel | Vendor states |
|---|---|---|
| Avast | No stated turnaround. | |
| AVG | web form | No stated turnaround. |
| Avira | web form | No stated turnaround. Avira's submission page says only that a URL found to be a false positive is removed from its database. |
| Bitdefender | Bitdefender's consumer support article says that once confirmed, false alarms are corrected within hours. | |
| ESET | No fixed turnaround. KB141 says to send a follow-up if the issue is not resolved within three days and the matter is urgent. | |
| Fortinet FortiGuard | web form | The FortiGuard Web Filter Lookup page says reviews are generally processed and updated within 24 hours. The Malicious URL Appeal Form states no turnaround. |
| Google Safe Browsing | manual | Google's Search Console help says most reviews are processed within a few days; some can take longer. |
| Kaspersky | No stated turnaround. | |
| McAfee | web form | McAfee's ticketing system states requests are addressed within an average of 3–5 business days, some taking longer; its support article says to recheck after 5–7 days. |
| Microsoft Defender SmartScreen | web form | No stated turnaround. Microsoft says to wait for a confirmation email from the SmartScreen Reputation Group and to reply to it if the issue is urgent. |
| Norton Safe Web | web form | No stated turnaround. |
| Sophos | Sophos states that non-customer submissions are welcome but feedback will not be provided. No turnaround is stated. | |
| Sucuri | No stated turnaround for Sucuri Labs blacklist reviews. | |
| Trend Micro | web form | No stated turnaround. Trend Micro's knowledge base says to wait for a response from its Web Reputation Services team after validating the request. |
| VirusTotal | per engine | VirusTotal states no turnaround because it does not process disputes; each engine sets its own. |
| Webroot (OpenText BrightCloud) | web form | Webroot's knowledge base states the BrightCloud team responds within 24–48 hours after the change request is submitted. |
Before any of them: what every false-positive report must contain — the eight-item checklist and two worked examples.