"Excluded" from what? => change to BLOCK and ALLOW

vpk

Hello.

 

I just got an F-Secure alert saying that some shady file in my temp folder was behaving like a virus (I was reading a global newspaper online on their website). So I was prompted something along the lines of "Do you want to exclude this..." to which I replied - YES, exclude the thing from everything!! - but now I understood that I may have ACTUALLY excluded the potentially harmful file from F-Secure scans themselves.

 

So where could I check it? Dear F-Secure, this part was not easy for your random user who just wants things to work. I am not sure whehter I managed to find the thing in the lists and options with exclusion et cetera or not. I tried to block everything I'd allowed preivously, hoping that this one was now included as well.

 

SO, A REQUEST: Dear F-Secure. While your user interface is delightfully clear in general, please PLEASE make sure that whenever there are any alerts or pop-ups, the dumb user like me will get a VERY clear choice between a Red Button that says "Block it all! Get rid of it", and a Green Button that says "Allow it, I know what it is". This is the one and single concern we have as users: protect me from the thing or it's ok I know what it is.

 

It is a funny thing how impatient we users are, but I was in the middle of reading somethign else and I really could not be bothered with philosophical questions about how to treat some random file that tried to invade my computer. I just wanted to get rid of it, but thanks to the unclear pop-up I have no idea knowing whehter that's what I chose or if I actually allowed the thing to pass through my firewall.

 

(I did do a full scan afterwards and all is green - but did the scan allow the thing to pass assuming I had accepted it?)

Ukko

Hello,

 

Sorry for my reply. I'm also only F-Secure user (their home solutions).

 

It is possible to doublecheck about "excluded/blocked" applications with such steps (if your F-Secure SAFE installation is recent build):

• https://help.f-secure.com/product.html#home/safe-windows/latest/en/task_DD55A8BAD6184575A9E8307E473AFF6D-safe-windows-latest-en

If "Excluded"-tab is empty -> so, each file should be scanned with further try to access it. OR by Full Scan.

When file is excluded -> it is not scanned.

---

In general, F-Secure own prompts are about autodecision against malicious and harmful items (remove/quarantine/prevent/block based on some specific situations).

Maybe your experience was about Potentially Unwanted Application and with such category -> may be prompt with "Exclude it from further scans as it is trusted to you application" (with double ask); I think that your description is about suspicious situation and unclear does it can be only PUA or not. And not sure if item is launched as result (maybe not).

 

Possible to re-check "Recent events" like: rightclick F-Secure traypicture ->> Recent Events ->> look for lines about this event (for more information about file/detection-name or something like this).

 

Sorry for my own suggestion and words.

It is an option to try F-Secure Official Support Channels (chat as example) as request for their investigation if your system is still protected by F-Secure and clean (if your chosen action was right):

https://www.f-secure.com/en/web/home_global/contact-support

 

Thanks!

Cale

Hi,

 

Ukko is correct, we don't actually ask anything if we detect viruses or spyware, we simply remove them without user choice. Only with PUA (riskware) we ask if you want to exclude it from scanning. That aside, you are correct that the button label should be more obvious. We'll think about it.

 

Thanks for you feedback,

Cale