High Windows defender CPU usage when accessing NSIS installer

• Version: Various

• Target: NSIS (Windows 32-bit) - Windows 10

Today, I noticed that the NSIS installers I have have built (current and ones from a few months ago) with electron-builder are causing Windows defender to act up.

To reproduce:

1. I right click on my installer
   • Windows explorer hangs, and adds “not responding” to the window title
   • Looking at the task manager shows high CPU usage from the Windows defender service
   • If I keep clicking around the frozen window, explorer.exe crashes and reloads
2. If I wait, after about 60 seconds, the right click menu finally appears.
3. I click “Properties” and the same delay happens, although for not as long.

All of my installers are signed. I have tried this on 3 separate Windows 10 machines, all with the same results.

I have no reason to believe this is an issue with electron-builder directly, but I thought it would be useful to log it anyway, and to find out if anyone else is experiencing this issue.

Windows defender version:

Antimalware Client Version: 4.10.14393.0
Engine Version: 1.1.13407.0
Antivirus definition: 1.235.1170.0
Antispyware definition: 1.235.1170.0
Network Inspection System Engine Version: 2.1.12706.0
Network Inspection System Definition Version: 116.72.0.0

[develar]

13.5.0 released.

"nsis": {
  "unicode": false,
}

to disable Unicode. Still enabled by default — wait for NSIS or MS developers answer.

[develar]

@mastergberry Yes.