WFA how to hide Microsoft Defender SmartScreen

Question

Hello, I have created a c# WFA using visual studio,

after I deploy it, every time I run the exe application I get this message

How can I hide it from my application ?

Answer 1

ello Hazem,

Thank you for your question and for reaching out with your question today.

The "Windows protected your PC" message is displayed by Windows SmartScreen, a built-in security feature that helps protect your computer from running unrecognized or potentially malicious software. SmartScreen checks the reputation of the application based on various factors, such as the number of times it has been downloaded and its digital signature.

To prevent the "Windows protected your PC" message from appearing for your application, you can consider the following options:

1. Code Signing: Sign your application with a digital certificate from a trusted certificate authority. This helps establish the reputation of your application and reduces the likelihood of triggering the SmartScreen warning. Code signing certificates can be obtained from various certificate authorities, such as DigiCert, Comodo, or GlobalSign.
2. Build Reputation: Distribute your application through reputable channels and encourage users to download it from trusted sources. As more users download and run your application without any issues, its reputation will improve, and SmartScreen warnings may become less frequent.
3. Windows Defender SmartScreen settings: Users can customize the SmartScreen settings on their own machines. By default, it is set to block unrecognized applications. However, users can choose to disable or lower the SmartScreen protection level through their Windows Defender settings. Note that this option is not recommended for general users as it reduces security.

It's important to note that the SmartScreen warning is intended to protect users from potentially harmful applications. Therefore, it's generally not recommended to bypass or hide this message, as it may lead to trust and security concerns.

By following best practices such as code signing and distributing your application through reputable channels, you can gradually establish trust and minimize the SmartScreen warnings for your users.

I used AI provided by ChatGPT to formulate part of this response. I have verified that the information is accurate before sharing it with you.

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