Google’s Chrome browser became a victim of Microsoft’s in house anti-virus product, Security Essentials, late last week, when it incorrectly identified Chrome as being malware. This resulted in 3000 users having Google’s browser blocked or uninstalled from their computers.

According to the International Business Times, the company insisted that the incident “was unintended and caused by a software bug during its routine definition update”. In an official statement, Microsoft apologised for the inconvenience this may have caused.

Microsoft elaborated that an incorrect detection for PWS:Win32/Zbot was identified, which led to the problems encountered, and stated that it has “already fixed the issue,” with the release of an updated signature (1.113.672.0). The company urged users to manually update Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) with the latest signatures. “To do this, simply launch MSE, go to the update tab and click the Update button, and then reinstall Google Chrome,” advised Microsoft.

According to Computerworld, Microsoft Security Essentials mistook Google’s browser for Zeus, a trojan that is responsible for the theft of online banking details.The search giant apparently responded by plastering a red warning banner on its support pages that alerted visitors to the fact that Google Chrome had been incorrectly marked as malware by Microsoft security software."

Additionally, on the official Chrome blog, the company stated that it “would release an update that would automatically repair Chrome for affected users.” However, the blog stressed that if Chrome was working correctly, then there was no need to take any action, while offering steps for those who wished to restore Chrome manually.

In recent news, Google released  Chrome 14 towards the end of September.