Microsoft SmartScreen warning during install

Support
1

Hi all,

Just tried to install the latest version Duplicati 2 but Microsoft SmartScreen tells me it protected my computer by not running it. Is this normal, how to proceed to make sure it is genuine?

Error message below:

Windows protected your PC
Microsoft Defender SmartScreen prevented an unrecognized app from starting. Running this app might put your PC at risk.
There’s a link: More info
And a button: Don’t run

Pressing more info gives:
App: duplicati-2.0.7.1_beta_2023-05-25-x64.msi|
Publisher: Kenneth Skovhede

and it also gives the option to bypass the protection, but is it safe to do?

2

Welcome to the forum @backbackupup

You could upload it to https://www.virustotal.com/ and see if you get this (verify hash on middle line):

image

or if you right-click → Properties → Digital signatures → sha256 → Details you can compare it to this:

image
image462×598 16.1 KB

1 Like
3

Thank you for the very thorough answer, this will hopefully help others as well.

So do I understand this system correctly - the only way to get rid of this SmartScreen warning is for Duplicati project to pay Microsoft in some way to get it sorted? Cool scheme.

But in the end maybe it is good to make people think what they install.

4

Well, this is a murky question. AFAIK Microsoft has never wanted to make explicit the conditions used by SmartScreen since it would make the thing less secure. Security by obscurity is good for some, less good for others. The number of downloads could be linked to the certificate - it’s still a bit new since it was renewed this year-, but it’s around 10000 now for the last beta + canary. I don’t know. I have to admit that I don’t care a lot about it.

1 Like