Microsoft recently unveiled its innovative scareware blocker for the Edge browser at the 2024 Ignite conference, and now it’s available for public preview. This new feature offers enhanced protection against online scams and is accessible to all Edge users with updated browsers and enabled previews.
While malware awareness is generally high, scareware tactics prey on user anxiety by creating a false sense of system compromise. These scams often employ deceptive techniques to convince users that their PCs are infected, urging them to contact fake “tech support” for assistance. This allows scammers to gain remote access to the victim’s computer through guided instructions.
Although Edge already utilizes Microsoft Defender SmartScreen to block known scareware instances, this new blocker employs a sophisticated machine learning model to detect and mitigate emerging and previously unknown threats that bypass traditional security measures.
The scareware blocker leverages computer vision to analyze webpages and compare them against a comprehensive database of known scareware screens. A common scareware tactic involves using fullscreen mode to create a sense of loss of control for the user.
While pressing the ESC key typically exits fullscreen mode, many users are unaware of this or may panic in such situations. The scareware blocker proactively addresses this by automatically exiting fullscreen mode and displaying a warning about the potentially malicious webpage. The warning includes a screenshot of the website, allowing users to confirm whether it’s a genuine threat. This feature is especially valuable as some scareware scams even attempt to disable keyboard input, including the ESC key.
If the blocker correctly identifies a scareware threat, users can close the page and report the malicious site, adding it to SmartScreen’s blacklist. Conversely, users can report false alarms to refine the model’s accuracy and improve its performance.
The effectiveness of the scareware blocker improves with increased usage. Since it’s available as a public preview, accessible to all Edge users without requiring Insider program participation, enabling this feature for yourself and your family members provides immediate protection against evolving online threats.
This new security feature in Edge offers a significant advancement in protecting users from scareware scams, promoting a safer online experience.
