Fake malware warnings in Edge

What’s the threat?

A security researcher has demonstrated how hackers can manipulate Edge so it shows fake malware alerts that mimic the browser’s genuine red warnings.

Manuel Caballero from Buenos Aires said that hackers can display warnings that look almost identical to those produced by Edge’s Smartscreen filter, which tells you if you’re about to visit a site it deems to be unsafe. Caballero showed that hackers can change the wording of this warning to include a phone number (see screenshot). Calling the number would put you straight through to them.

What should you do?

Never ring a phone number in a warning from Edge. There’s no immediate danger because this threat has been presented in theory only – what’s known as a proof of concept. But hackers will be delighted to learn from Caballero’s blog post ( www.snipca. com/22841) that there’s a flaw in one of the world’s most popular browsers. Microsoft will probably fix this in an update soon, but until then you should be especially vigilant when using Edge. Should they appear, these fake warnings will be among the most realistic ever seen.

You could disable Smartscreen Filter, but we wouldn’t recommend this. Since 2006, when it launched with Internet Explorer 7, it has offered reliable protection against online threats (just as Google’s Safe Browsing has for Chrome, Firefox and Opera). Turning it off to avoid a threat that has yet to be seen online would be an overreaction.

Over the years Smartscreen Filter has become more powerful. In December 2015, Microsoft gave it the ability to block drive-by attacks, which are triggered simply by visiting a website – you don’t have to click anything to download the malware. Visit Microsoft’s site for more information: www.snipca.com/22842.