The user sent me this message:
when trying to run cmc on windows 10 1803 i get a smart screen error saything that this app can not run
Here's a sample of this SmartScreen message:
- image.png (429.79 KiB) Viewed 11587 times
Here is my answer:
The SmartScreen is a Windows feature that let's you know when it doesn't recognize a program's author ("Publisher: Unknown Publisher"), and that running it "might" be dangerous.
The way Microsoft would identify a publisher as "known" is through the use of a digital signature that the author purchases and adds to the program. This digital signature is expensive, costing hundreds or thousands of dollars annually, depending upon how well known you want your program to be. For example, the most expensive option provides an instant reputation boost, so this Microsoft nag screen goes away.
As of this time, I do not have one of these digital signatures, so the Microsoft SmartScreen flags CMC's publisher (me) as unknown and that you shouldn't run it. While the concept is nice, the fact that these signatures are so expensive makes this seem like an extortion racket - "if you don't pay up, we'll flag your app as malicious for every user".
These digital signatures also don't guarantee that the software isn't malicious. Someone could buy a signature and sign their virus with it if they wanted to, and as long as the signature is there then the Microsoft SmartScreen won't complain.
As a precaution, I submit every version of CMC to http://www.virustotal.com, which performs scans with nearly every anti-virus and anti-malware engine available - nearly 70 of them. If you are ever unsure about any program you download, including CMC, you should scan with your own AV software, and submit it to VirusTotal for extra scanning.
Regarding that SmartScreen prompt, there should be an option to "Run Anyway" or something like that. Once you allow it to run the first time, I think the SmartScreen remember's your choice and won't pester you in the future.
I am considering buying a digital signature, expensive as they may be, but for now we all have to put up with Microsoft pretending they "protected your PC".
Paul