Advice Request Dealing with Defender SmartScreen in Edge Chromium

[Ink]

Today I wanted to check what sort of defence Microsoft Edge has against viruses and malware. As I don't deal with real malware, I'll opt for the safer virus test file (not malware). Screenshots are taken from Windows 10 20H2 Build 19042 with MS Defender as the primary Antivirus, and Microsoft Edge v89 as the default browser.


1. Downloaded the first file.

2. The first browser warning: "This type of file might harm your computer" [Keep] [Delete]

3. If I select Keep, this message appears.

4. Proceeding with Keep Anyway

5. The second browser warning: "This file was blocked as unsafe by MSDSS(...)" [Keep] [Delete]

6. Again I select Keep, and another warning:

7. Proceed with Keep anyway under Show more.

8. The browser download status changes to "Couldn't download - Virus detected".

9. The file is removed by the resident Microsoft Defender Antivirus.

 

[bjm_]

Microsoft Defender SmartScreen
Demo Pages
These pages are just for demonstration ... nothing is actually malicious.
https://demo.smartscreen.msft.net/

 

[Ink]

Microsoft Defender SmartScreen

Eicar isn't malware, only a virus test file as stated for this experiment.

By the looks if how SmartScreen works with Defender Antivirus, it would be quite troublesome to get any malware onto the computer.

The browsers' defence blocks the files at least twice, before allowing the user to Keep the file.

It begs the question, of how on earth do people get infected if the file is known to be unsafe.

 

[Lenny_Fox]

The browsers' defence blocks the files at least twice, before allowing the user to Keep the file.

It begs the question, of how on earth do people get infected if the file is known to be unsafe.

I remember my father angrily asking my youngest brother in disbelieve "why did you execute the file when the antivirus said it was malicious?"

Two of his hilarious answers:

- when antivirus allowed me to execute the program, I figured it could not be that bad, a really bad program would not be allowed to execute, would it?

- my friends found a free game with the same name (when downloading a crack), they did not had any problems, so I thought it would be okay

After the second infection we got an old laptop to share. He managed to wreck that one also once (again by downloading a crack).

 

[Jan Willy]

It begs the question, of how on earth do people get infected if the file is known to be unsafe.

This is a risky setting in MS Edge:

 

[blackice]

This is a risky setting in MS Edge:

View attachment 255326

Risky? In terms of protection or privacy?

 

[Jan Willy]

Risky? In terms of protection or privacy?

The risk that people disable this setting.

 

[blackice]

The risk that people disable this setting.

Now I see what you're saying!

 

[jackuars]

I remember my father angrily asking my youngest brother in disbelieve "why did you execute the file when the antivirus said it was malicious?"

Two of his hilarious answers:

- when antivirus allowed me to execute the program, I figured it could not be that bad, a really bad program would not be allowed to execute, would it?

- my friends found a free game with the same name (when downloading a crack), they did not had any problems, so I thought it would be okay

After the second infection we got an old laptop to share. He managed to wreck that one also once (again by downloading a crack).

Seems like your brother must be redirected to safer/trusted torrent sites for downloading games.

 

[bjm_]

Eicar isn't malware, only a virus test file as stated for this experiment.

and https://demo.smartscreen.msft.net/ pages are just for demonstration ... nothing is actually malicious.

 

[Kongo]

Seems like your brother must be redirected to safer/trusted torrent sites for downloading games.

Or just support the developer and buy the game legally.