Where does MS's SmartScreen Filter come from?

Question

I am getting some false positives with MS's Smartscreen filter (looks similar to this, but the sites are more legitimate).

How can I manually update the filter (to the latest version), who makes the filter, and could I give feedback to MS by, maybe, rating websites?

Answer 1

The SmartScreen filter in the screenshot is implemented via Internet Explorer. To report the website as safe:

• Click on More Information
• Click on the Report that this site does not contain threat link.
• Fill out the form to say you think it is a safe site.

Microsoft will then look into the issue and manually review their ratings, there is no way you can change it on your local machine.

As far as actually updating the filter itself, that would be done through IE updates, which are normally done through Windows Updates.

Answer 2

SmartScreen filter is implemented as a webservice by Microsoft. You do not need to manually update the filter.

To confirm this, you can run a network monitoring tool such as Wireshark. You will see requests to Microsoft's SmartScreen filter being sent via a URL.

To request that Microsoft updates their SmartScreen filter, either

a) If you own the site, send an email to secure[A.T]microsoftDOTcom querying the reason for the issue.

b) If you do not own the site, click "Continue Anyway" on the site. This action will be logged by Microsoft and they use this statistical data to update their tools automatically.

Answer 3

Most probable cause, is the clock set?? Check the time and regional settings, if the time is not correct, some certs would be reported as expired.