With the release of Internet Explorer 8, Microsoft included the SmartScreen Filter to help detect phishing websites and to protect users from downloading or installing malware. Now, starting with Windows 8, Microsoft has expanded the role of SmartScreen with a built-in file verification policy.
As reported by Long Zheng, Windows 8’s SmartScreen serves to continuously check the file system and prevents malicious and unknown downloads from running. SmartScreen in IE was designed to check against a list of malicious URLs to prevent users from visiting any harmful websites. With native SmartScreen filtering, SmartScreen’s role in Windows 8 takes on a more OS-level approach.
The additional functions of the SmartScreen Filter will add yet another layer of protection for Windows 8 and should nicely complement Microsoft’s growing arsenal of tools designed to protect the user from malicious downloads and viruses.
Image Credit: istartedsomething.com
Further reading: SmartScreen, Windows 8
