Windows Defender detects a file as malware or virus
Sometimes Windows Defender can detect a virus in one of the downloaded files from Flightsim.to, even though there is none. This is called a false positive. This happens rarely, but it can happen. If Windows Defender thinks that a file is dangerous, it will not allow you to access it and automatically stop the download. Therefore, we advise you to delete the file first. Please remember that by default we check all uploaded files for viruses and the probability that it is a false report is higher than that there is actually a virus in a file. The good news is that, as long as you do not execute any file, there is no danger or threat to your computer. Just unzipping or moving a downloaded file to the Community folder of your Microsoft Flight Simulator installation will never pose a threat to your computer as long as you don't run any application it (by double-clicking or opening it).
For Creators
A file may be rejected because malware was found. At Flightsim.to, we randomly check all applications to see whether they have a perfect virus-free record on VirusTotal.com. It is possible that such a scan has found a virus. We are aware that in many cases this can be a so-called false positive. That is, the antivirus software mistakenly detects a virus or malicious code, even though it is a safe program. As a rule, such false positives are recognized and eliminated by the antivirus providers themselves within 42 hours to a few days. It is therefore advisable to wait a few days and then run your own scan on VirusTotal.com and only send the program back to us once the scan is largely clean.
At Flightsim.to we have a zero-tolerance policy: this means that even if it could be a false positive, unfortunately we are not allowed to allow files on our platform that have been classified as malware. Our hosting and CDN providers have strict guidelines. Detections by Microsoft (Windows Defender) and Google (Google Chrome) are particularly serious, as they completely prevent many users from downloading the file. If the false positive result persists after a few days, the code should be evaluated with the help of an expert and then a report should be submitted to the respective antivirus provider. Then the false positive is removed. We ask for your understanding that the security of our platform and users has top priority. As soon as the antivirus result is positive, you are welcome to submit your file again.
Liveries and Scenery
It is very unlikely that a scenery or livery contains a virus. As described above, the uploaded archive would have to contain an executable program. Liveries and sceneries mostly consist of text files or DDS textures only. It can happen that Windows Defender misinterprets them and detects them as a threat, due to their file and folder structure, which is not very common.
However, you should be more careful with executable programs that can be opened by double-clicking, for example Add-On Managers, Tweaks, Utilities or any other programs.
How to access a falsely detected file?
By default, Windows Defender will delete the file. In order to be able to download and extract the file, you need to turn off Windows Defender Real Time Protection. This can be changed in the Control Panel of your computer. Search for Windows Defender and disable Real-Time Protection. Alternatively, disable any other anti-virus software to temporarily allow the file. After you have downloaded and installed the file, you can re-enable Windows Defender Real-Time Protection.
How to be sure that the file is safe?
To be safe, we recommend uploading the downloaded archive to VirusTotal.com. VirusTotal.com is a cloud service that checks a file with more than 60 anti-virus programs quickly, free of charge and immediately displays the scan results. If multiple anti-virus programs report a virus, it is likely that something is wrong with the file. Then you should delete it immediately and inform the Flightsim.to team, so we can take further action. On the other hand, if no virus is detected, or if only one or two out of 60 programs detect a virus, it could be a false positive.
False Positives are mostly fixed within 72 Hours
If your virus program reports a virus and you don't want to take any chances, delete the file and download it again 3 days later. In the vast majority of cases, the anti-virus software will automatically notice that it has made a mistake and the file is no longer incorrectly declared as a virus a few hours or days after you have downloaded it the first time, as anti-virus programs frequently update their scans and databases.