Microsoft Edge’s Scareware Blocker: A Smarter Way to Block Malicious Scams

Microsoft Edge is adding a new security feature that uses machine learning to defend users against scareware attacks. The new Scareware blocker is currently available in preview in the Edge browser on Windows PCs.

Scareware is a type of malicious software that is designed to trick users into thinking that their PC is infected with a virus or security threat. Typically, it uses alarming pop-up messages or fake system alerts to create a sense of urgency and fear. The goal is to manipulate users into downloading and purchasing harmful software, often disguised as legitimate antivirus programs.

Microsoft announced the Scareware blocker feature for Edge at its Ignite conference in November 2023. While Edge already uses Microsoft Defender’s SmartScreen to block known scams by analyzing web pages and checking them against a list of phishing and malware sites, the new Scareware blocker aims to protect users from previously unknown scam tools.

How does the Scareware blocker work?

In Microsoft Edge, the Scareware blocker uses machine learning to detect signs of scareware scams. It compares full-screen pages with thousands of scam samples, and if it identifies a malicious page, it exits full-screen mode, stops any aggressive audio, warns the user, and displays a thumbnail of the page. There is also an option to report the malicious site to help protect others.

To enable the Scareware blocker, users must first ensure they are using the latest version of Microsoft Edge. Then, they can click the three-dot icon, go to Settings > Privacy, Search, and Services, navigate to the Security section, and toggle on the “Scareware blocker” option.

It’s important to note that the use of machine learning to analyze users’ screens in the Scareware blocker could raise privacy and security concerns. However, Microsoft assures that the machine learning model operates locally on the device, without storing or sending data to the cloud.