Can I mark an external exe as “safe to run (Unknown publisher)” programmatically?

Question

So I have my own application, \"main.exe\". In some computers where the security level is higher it will display a warning because of the \"unknown publisher\".

Answer 1

The only right answer to this problem can be found here at the Microsoft blog.

It is all about reputation. This means, you need to properly sign your executable with an official cerificate signed by a CA like Comodo or Verisign. This is needed so that your reputation as a publisher can be tracked. After that you need to build reputation. That simply takes time, the more your software is installed, the higher the chance that you get trusted by the smart screen filter.

If you need a trusted executable as soon as possible, in other words, now... Buy yourself an Extended Validation or EV Code Signing certificate. As said in the Microsoft blog post, building reputation isn't necessary then:

"...Programs signed by an EV code signing certificate can immediately establish reputation..."