Microsoft Edge Scareware Blocker – Local Simulation Page

⚠ TEST / EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY – NO REAL MALWARE / NO NETWORK EXFILTRATION

1. Overview

This repository contains a self‑contained HTML page (index.html) that simulates typical scareware / tech‑support scam tactics (alert loops, fullscreen requests, fake scan progress, countdown pressure, history manipulation, right‑click suppression, alarm sounds, etc.) so that defenders, administrators, and researchers can safely evaluate Microsoft Edge Scareware Blocker and other browser hardening / UX protections.

The page is completely client‑side: no external resources, downloads, telemetry, tracking, or data collection. All effects are visual / behavioral only and explicitly marked as simulated.

2. Intended Use / Audience

Audience	Typical Goals
SecOps / Blue Team	Validate that Edge protections trigger; train helpdesk to recognize scareware patterns.
IT Admin / Adoption	Demonstrate value of enabling browser security features to stakeholders.
Awareness / Training	Show end users what fake pressure tactics look like in a safe environment.
Researchers	Inspect behaviors (alerts, history, beforeunload) without risk of hostile payloads.

3. Feature Matrix

Feature	Toggle ID	Description	Default	Safe Mode Impact
Native alert spam	cbAlerts	Repeating alert() popups simulating harassment	ON	Disabled
beforeunload trap	cbBeforeUnload	Prompts when trying to close / reload	ON	Disabled
Back‑button friction	cbHistory	Pushes states so Back requires multiple presses	ON	Disabled
Alarm sound	cbBeep	Periodic square‑wave “alarm”	ON	Active (unless unchecked)
Request fullscreen	cbFullscreen	Attempts to hide browser chrome	OFF	Still off unless enabled
Block right‑click	cbContext	Disables context menu	ON	Active (unless unchecked)

Additional behaviors:

• Simulated scan panel with animated progress bar, rotating marquee text, random “threat” counter.
• Countdown timer periodically opening an overlay “Critical System Alert (SIMULATED)”.
• Overlay modal with dismiss and repeat controls.
• ?safe=1 query parameter forces Safe Mode on initial load (disables the aggressive tactics above).
• ESC key stops the simulation at any time.

4. Safety Characteristics

• No network calls (all assets embedded locally).
• No downloads, eval, dynamic script injection, or obfuscated code.
• No data persistence beyond transient history states.
• Can always exit by pressing ESC, clicking “Stop Simulation”, or closing the tab / window.
• Safe Mode automatically prevents the most disruptive behaviors (alert spam, beforeunload trap, history trap).

5. Quick Start

You can simply open index.html directly in Microsoft Edge. For a closer-to-real browsing context (origin, navigation, history), serve it from a tiny local web server.

Option A – Open Directly

1. Double‑click index.html (or Right‑click > Open with > Microsoft Edge).
2. Click “Start Simulation”.
3. Observe Edge Scareware Blocker responses (if feature enabled in your build / channel).

Option B – Local HTTP Server (PowerShell)

From the project directory:

# Start a simple local server on port 8080
pwsh -NoLogo -NoProfile -Command "python -m http.server 8080"  # Requires Python
# Or (PowerShell 7+ / .NET 6+) using dev server:
dotnet tool install --global dotnet-serve  # first time only
dotnet serve --port 8080

Then browse to: http://localhost:8080/index.html

Append ?safe=1 if you want to begin in Safe Mode: http://localhost:8080/index.html?safe=1

6. Using the Simulation

1. (Optional) Add ?safe=1 for a non‑aggressive baseline.
2. Toggle feature pills (checkboxes) to include or exclude behaviors in the session.
3. Press “Start Simulation”.
4. Interact: attempt Back, close tab, right‑click, or press ESC to see mitigations and escape paths.
5. Press “Stop Simulation” to fully clean up (alerts stop, fullscreen exits, handlers removed, history trap released).

7. Demonstration Scenarios

Scenario	Steps	Expected Observation
Alert Flood vs Safe Mode	Start normally (no ?safe=1) vs with ?safe=1	Alert spam present vs suppressed
Back Button Friction	Start with history trap enabled; click Back	Re‑insertion of history entries / overlay prompt
beforeunload Trap	Attempt to close / refresh while running	Browser confirmation dialog (unless Safe Mode)
Fullscreen Attempt	Enable fullscreen then Start	Browser enters fullscreen (may require user gesture)
Audio Pressure	Leave “Alarm sound” enabled	Repeating short beeps every ~2.5s

8. Customization

Edit index.html only (single file):

• Change default enabled checkboxes (search for checked> attributes).
• Adjust alert loop timing (2800 + Math.random()*1500).
• Modify number of history entries pushed (search for(let i=0;i<6;i++)).
• Change scan duration / cadence in startScan().
• Replace colors via the :root CSS variables at the top of the file.

9. Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely Cause	Resolution
No Edge scareware notification	Feature not enabled in your Edge channel / policy	Verify policy / use latest Insider build with blocker preview.
Fullscreen fails	User interaction requirement / blocked by browser	Click inside page first; check edge://settings/content.
Alert dialogs don’t appear	Safe Mode on or checkbox cleared	Disable Safe Mode or re‑enable Native alert loop.
Back button still exits immediately	History trap disabled (Safe Mode or checkbox)	Enable Back-button friction in normal mode.

10. Security / Ethical Notice

This code is intentionally benign. Do not adapt it to deceive, extort, or socially engineer users. Any misuse is outside the scope and intent of this demo and may violate laws or organizational policies.

11. Edge Policies & Related Hardening

Review Microsoft Edge security policy documentation for deploying scareware blocker features at scale (Group Policy / Intune). (See official Microsoft resources—policy IDs evolve; this README avoids embedding potentially stale identifiers.)

12. Project Structure

├── index.html      # Single-file simulation (HTML/CSS/JS inline)
├── README.md       # This documentation
├── LICENSE         # License file (see below)
└── img/            # Screenshots used in README

13. License

Distributed under the terms in LICENSE (MIT unless otherwise specified there). Screenshots derived from this simulation are permissible for documentation, training, and internal presentation with attribution.

14. References & Further Reading

• Official Blog: Stand up to scareware with scareware blocker (Preview) – Microsoft Edge (Jan 2025)
  https://blogs.windows.com/msedgedev/2025/01/27/stand-up-to-scareware-with-scareware-blocker/
• Feature Page: Scareware blocker
  https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/features/scareware-blocker?form=MA13FJ
• General Browser Security Guidance (Microsoft) – https://learn.microsoft.com/microsoft-edge/

15. Attributions

Created for internal / educational security demonstrations. All brand names belong to their respective owners; no endorsement implied.

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Questions or improvements? Open an issue / PR.