Applies to Sophos Home for Windows
What is Tamper Protection?
Sophos Home's Tamper Protection is a feature that prevents unauthorized changes to Sophos Home's components, logs, files, and folders on Windows computers. This feature is controlled through the Sophos Home antivirus interface.
How can I disable Tamper Protection to troubleshoot issues?
Tamper Protection should only be temporarily disabled if you are an advanced user following a specific troubleshooting guide, or if instructed by a Sophos support representative. However, you should never turn off Tamper Protection if you suspect a malware attack is ongoing, as it is the last line of defense against unauthorized changes. Be sure to re-enable Tamper Protection after any necessary troubleshooting, as it will automatically turn back on after a reboot or 4 hours of being disabled.
What to do:
These steps can only be performed with a Windows Administrator Account. The slider will NOT appear on a Standard account.
- Double click on the system tray Sophos Home shield
- Click on Help at the bottom left
- Click on the Troubleshooting arrow to display the advanced settings
- Click on the slider button next to Tamper Protection to disable it (will turn gray)
- If prompted, enter your computer's Administrator password OR click "More choices to choose alternate authentication methods, such as PIN.
Once disabled, perform any troubleshooting steps needed and turn Tamper Protection back on to keep your antivirus safe. (For your security, Tamper Protection will automatically re-enable after 4 hours, or on reboot).
I no longer have access to the antivirus, but I need to remove Tamper Protection to reinstall Sophos Home
Disabling Tamper Protection when the Sophos Home user interface is not available. - Advanced Users
Note: Sophos Home does not use a Tamper Protection password. If you are trying to remove Sophos and being requested to enter a password for Tamper Protection, please reach out to the Sophos Support business area for assistance (as this is not Sophos Home related).
Related Information
- Disabling Tamper Protection when the Sophos Home user interface is not available
- How to re-install Sophos Home