Have you ever encountered a web page that claimed your PC had a virus and asked you to download antivirus software? That type of scam is known as scareware, and it’s a threat that Microsoft is working to counter with a new option in its Edge browser.
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Available in preview mode with the latest version of Edge, the new scareware blocker uses machine learning to identify scareware attacks and help you avoid their usual tactics. After the scareware is thwarted, you can report the malicious site to Microsoft. Here’s how it all works.
How Microsoft Edge’s scareware blocker works
Many scareware sites run the infamous tech support scam. Clicking a link or notification on a page displays a warning alerting you that your computer is infected with a virus. Another message typically appears instructing you to download security software to clean your PC or call a support number for additional help.
However, the people behind the scenes are running a con in which they hope to steal your credit card data or other sensitive information, sometimes leaving your PC infected with a real virus.
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To prevent victims from acting, such sites often go into full-screen browser mode, making all the menus and toolbars vanish. Though seasoned users know they can press the ESC button to exit this situation, novices might not know what to do. Additionally, the scammer may exploit browser tricks with the audio, keyboard, or mouse to prevent you from taking control.
Microsoft already offers its Defender SmartScreen tool, which uses collective knowledge to stop scareware and other threats. However, SmartScreen won’t be as effective if a particular scareware page has not yet been reported.
As described in a Microsoft blog post on Monday, Edge’s Scareware blocker works by using computer vision to compare a scareware site that tries to open full-screen with thousands of sample scams. If the blocker detects that the page is malicious, it will exit full-screen mode in Edge, stop any audio, warn you about the site, and display a thumbnail of the page. The tool even runs locally, so it doesn’t save or send any images to the cloud.
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Once you regain control of the browser, you can use the blocker to report the malicious site. You can share diagnostics and a screenshot of the page with Microsoft, which then helps SmartScreen protect others from the same site. You can also report any mistakes made by the blocker to reduce the number of false positives.
How to opt into the new scareware blocker
To opt into the scareware blocker, first make sure you’re running the latest version of Edge. To do this, click the three-dot icon at the top right, go to Help and Feedback in the menu, and then select About Microsoft Edge. Allow the latest update to download, and then restart the browser.
Open Edge again. Click the three-dot icon and select Settings. Click the setting for Privacy, Search, and Services. Scroll down the page to the Security section and turn on the switch for scareware blocker.
