Windows Smart App Control error

[cavjj]

Fixed, but thought this might be worth reporting.

- Upon launching the game from Steam I got the following error: Failed to start process for this game: "An Application Control Policy has blocked this file." (0x11C7)
- Verified game files integrity (3 files were downloaded). Same error upon attempting to relaunch the game.
- A standard Windows restart fixed the error and allowed me to launch the game via Steam.

I haven't directly attempted to modify,move,delete the game files. No mods. I'm unsure what the three files were - if there's a way to check I'm happy to do so.

[Eric.B]

Thanks for reporting it. It seems like Windows 11 bundles a new anti-virus software which just checks for valid certificates and if it doesn't have one, checks against an online database. Similar to what they already have with the untrusted program popup, but this seems more aggressive.

:

• When a user attempts to run an executable, SAC queries Microsoft’s app intelligence (cloud) to determine whether the app is known safe or malicious.
  
• If the cloud can make a confident trust decision, SAC respects it. If not, it falls back to code signing checks: a valid signature from a certificate issued by a CA in Microsoft’s Trusted Root Program will usually allow execution.
  
• If neither cloud reputation nor a valid trusted signature exists, SAC flags the app as untrusted and blocks it in Enforcement mode.
  
• In Evaluation mode, SAC observes behavior and logs potential blocks without blocking execution, giving Microsoft’s system a chance to determine if the device is a suitable candidate for enforcement.
  

As of right now, Windows only allows you to turn Smart App Controller on or off. Though, I suspect with more false positives, they'll eventually implement a whitelist or an "Allow program to run." This is similar to how Apple used to operate before they turned their notarization into a subscription scam.

For the record, GearCity is not signed, nor will it ever be signed against big tech systems. I personally don't believe in their approach and I consider this to be spyware. Most of the programs, especially older games, will not be signed either. So, I expect eventually the backlash will prompt them to give you more controls over it.

Anyway, it will take some time before GearCity is OK'd in their database. You'll probably run into this issue as long as its enabled for a few weeks/months after any update. Speaking of which, there is an update coming out tomorrow.

I will make a note to add this into my knowledge database, since I suspect as more people adopt Win11 and MS continues to gather more data, it may happen more frequently.

Thanks again!