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“Your Windows PC has been infected” scam (Support Scam Virus) - Sep 2020 update

by Gabriel E. Hall - - | Type: Adware

“Your Windows PC has been infected” scam Removal Guide

What is “Your Windows PC has been infected” scam?

“Your Windows PC has been infected” is a scam that tries to trick Windows users into calling a fake tech support

Your Windows PC has been infected scam"Your Windows PC has been infected" is a scam message that tries to imitate Windows' Blue Screen of Death error in order to make users believe that their PCs have been infected with malware

“Your Windows PC has been infected” scam is a deceptive message that users might encounter during their web browsing sessions. The alert, which tries to imitate the Windows Blue Screen of Death (BSOD)[1] crash window, informs users that their machine has been infected with malware and riskware and that personal information, such as credit card, banking, Facebook login, and personal files located on the computer is in the process of being compromised. Allegedly, users need to contact Microsoft support by calling 1-888-984-7569, 1-888-465-4185 (or another) number in order to resolve this issue.

However, “Your Windows PC has been infected” is a regular technical support scam that attempts to mislead users about their computer safety status and scare them by threatening with sensitive data compromise. If contacted, cybercriminals would attempt to offer users useless but expensive software, ask for a remote connection to install data-stealing malware and charge for allegedly provided support services. Therefore, never call the provided number, and quick the malicious page without thinking twice.

Name Your Windows PC has been infected
Type Fake alert, phishing, tech support scam
Related System Blocked for Security Reasons, Your Device Has Been Blocked
Claim The message claims that the computer has been infected and personal information is at risk
Aim To make users call the fake Microsoft Support techniciants and make them pay money for the alleged services
Distribution Malicious websites, adware
Risks Financial losses, malware infections, personal file compromise, privacy issues, identity theft
Removal You are not in danger, as long as you do not engage with the fraudulent message in any way. Simply close down the tab to leave the page. If you are unable to, call up the Task Manager and shut down the process of your web browser. You should also check your system for adware or other malicious software – you can find the instructions below
Further steps If you called fraudsters and paid money, contact your bank and try to revert the payment. If your security software flagged something, you should also reset the installed web browsers and perform system fix with tools like FortectIntego

One of the first signs of “Your Windows PC has been infected” BSOD deception is that it is actually not a Blue Screen of Death. These stop errors occur when Windows has to shut down to prevent damage to software or hardware on the computer (in case you encounter legitimate errors frequently, you can use FortectIntego to fix them automatically).

However, the “Your Windows PC has been infected” scam notification shows up within the web browser instead. The truth is, no diagnostics about your machine can be performed by a website – even by Microsoft itself. Thus, if you see a suspicious URL trying to convince you about virus infections and asking you to call alleged support – don't, as you will get scammed and lose money.

Besides, while the legitimate error messages can be imitated precisely, it is important to note that Microsoft, Google, or any other reputable tech company would never provide tech support contact information within such an alert. If you are worried, you should instead visit the official website and retrieve the phone number from there.

While you might encounter the “Your Windows PC has been infected” scam alert seemingly out of nowhere, one of the most common reasons for suspicious redirects and ads is adware. This ad-supported software can come in various formats, including browser extensions or programs installed on the system either deliberately or not. The latter case usually happens due to a deceptive marketing technique called bundling, where several programs are offered within a single installer and some components deliberately hidden.

Nonetheless, one of the primary ways to remove “Your Windows PC has been infected” notifications, as well as other suspicious browser activities, is to uninstall the suspicious program from your system. Thus, you should check your browser extensions and the Programs & Features section, as listed below.

If you chose to perform a full system scan with tools such as SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes and nothing was detected, you should not be worried anymore. Just as a precautionary measure, you can delete web browser cache/data or reset Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, MS Edge, or another web browser that you are using. You can find all the instructions below.

“Your Windows Is Infected” popup – an older variant of a popular scam

Picture of "Your Windows Is Infected"Your Windows Is Infected is a scam that urges users to call fake tech support number for money extortion purposes

“Your Windows Is Infected” is a fake alert that asks to contact tech support service for immediate help to recover the computer from a potential threat. This warning shows up in the new browser’s window.

In the background of the malicious website, users can see unknown symbols on the red background. Once a person visits such site, it also delivers a warning popup saying that Windows 10 is infected with viruses and other malicious applications.

“Your Windows Is Infected” virus also tells that people need to perform virus removal immediately. But if they leave this website, the computer will remain “damaged and vulnerable.” However, it’s just another tactic used by crooks in order to convince users into calling a fake support line.

Cyber criminals as people to contact a “certified technician” by dialing (800) 497-5972. Although the first instinct might encourage to grab your phone, you should not do it for several reasons:

  • this phone called might be charged more than a regular call;
  • crooks might offer to purchase useless security software;
  • crooks might ask to install remote access tool in order to “fix the problem” quicker;
  • your PC might get infected with malware;
  • you might unintentionally reveal private information, such as credit card details.

Nevertheless, “Your Windows Is Infected” uses the name of Microsoft; you should never forget that they do not have a phone support line. Thus, seeing such alert should not trick you to call criminals. No one knows what exact purposes they might have. Most likely, you will suffer from cyber crime.

The same malicious website also provides a fake Windows Defender notification. The alert says that Windows Security Essential failed to block the virus. Thus, in order to protect privacy and computer, users have to call the support line.

To make this scam to look more realistic, crooks also included an error code 0x8024402c.[2] However, this error has nothing in common with the scam you’re dealing with.

However, seeing such security alerts warns that your computer might be at risk. Redirects to the malicious site usually are triggered by an adware program that managed to infiltrate the system without your knowledge.

The quickest way to locate adware is to scan the computer with the anti-malware[3] program. We recommend performing automatic “Your Windows Is Infected” removal with security tools. At the end of the article, you will find a guide that will help to remove “Your Windows Is Infected” entirely.

The illustration of "Your Windows Is Infected" pop-up virus"Your Windows Is Infected" is a fake alert that belongs to the wide group of tech support scam viruses.

Fake Windows alert might be triggered by an adware program

The research revealed that behind redirects to “Your Windows Is Infected” usually stands an adware program. This potentially unwanted application may have entered the system during the recent installation of freeware.

To avoid similar cyber infections, you have to always opt for Advanced/Custom software installation instead of Basic/Standard. One of the steps will include pre-selected third-party apps that you need to unmark.

Additionally, “Your Windows Is Infected” scam might be spread via potentially dangerous sites. Thus, once you visit an adult-themed, gambling or illegal video streaming site, it might force you to visit this tech support scam site.

The virus is noticed spreading in the United Kingdom,[4] the United States and several countries in Europe. What is more, it is expected to spread further.

Getting rid of “Your Windows Is Infected” virus scam

To remove “Your Windows Is Infected” malware from the computer, you need to find and delete adware program that is responsible for redirecting to this scam site. We highly recommend opting for the automatic removal option and dedicate this task for anti-malware.

However, we are aware that not all of you are willing to use additional tools to get rid of the adware. In order to help you, we created a manual “Your Windows Is Infected” removal instructions. Please follow them attentively.

If you decide to terminate this threat manually, make sure that you delete all adware-related components from the computer and web browsers. Leaving some entries installed may allow continuing these annoying activities.

You may remove virus damage with a help of FortectIntego. SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner and Malwarebytes are recommended to detect potentially unwanted programs and viruses with all their files and registry entries that are related to them.

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Getting rid of “Your Windows PC has been infected” scam. Follow these steps

Uninstall from Windows

The instructions below will help you to locate all suspicious entries that are responsible for “Your Windows Is Infected” malware.

Instructions for Windows 10/8  machines:

  1. Enter Control Panel into Windows search box and hit Enter or click on the search result.
  2. Under Programs, select Uninstall a program. Uninstall from Windows 1
  3. From the list, find the entry of the suspicious program.
  4. Right-click on the application and select Uninstall.
  5. If User Account Control shows up, click Yes.
  6. Wait till uninstallation process is complete and click OK. Uninstall from Windows 2

If you are Windows 7/XP user, proceed with the following instructions:

  1. Click on Windows Start > Control Panel located on the right pane (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs).
  2. In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program. Uninstall from Windows 7/XP
  3. Pick the unwanted application by clicking on it once.
  4. At the top, click Uninstall/Change.
  5. In the confirmation prompt, pick Yes.
  6. Click OK once the removal process is finished.

Delete from macOS

Remove items from Applications folder:

  1. From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
  2. In the Applications folder, look for all related entries.
  3. Click on the app and drag it to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash) Uninstall from Mac 1

To fully remove an unwanted app, you need to access Application Support, LaunchAgents, and LaunchDaemons folders and delete relevant files:

  1. Select Go > Go to Folder.
  2. Enter /Library/Application Support and click Go or press Enter.
  3. In the Application Support folder, look for any dubious entries and then delete them.
  4. Now enter /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders the same way and terminate all the related .plist files. Uninstall from Mac 2

Remove from Microsoft Edge

Follow the instructions to end up redirects to this tech support scam website.

Delete unwanted extensions from MS Edge:

  1. Select Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and pick Extensions.
  2. From the list, pick the extension and click on the Gear icon.
  3. Click on Uninstall at the bottom. Remove extensions from Edge

Clear cookies and other browser data:

  1. Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Privacy & security.
  2. Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  3. Select everything (apart from passwords, although you might want to include Media licenses as well, if applicable) and click on Clear. Clear Edge browsing data

Restore new tab and homepage settings:

  1. Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
  2. Then find On startup section.
  3. Click Disable if you found any suspicious domain.

Reset MS Edge if the above steps did not work:

  1. Press on Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
  2. Click on More details arrow at the bottom of the window.
  3. Select Details tab.
  4. Now scroll down and locate every entry with Microsoft Edge name in it. Right-click on each of them and select End Task to stop MS Edge from running. Reset MS Edge

If this solution failed to help you, you need to use an advanced Edge reset method. Note that you need to backup your data before proceeding.

  1. Find the following folder on your computer: C:\\Users\\%username%\\AppData\\Local\\Packages\\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe.
  2. Press Ctrl + A on your keyboard to select all folders.
  3. Right-click on them and pick Delete Advanced MS Edge reset 1
  4. Now right-click on the Start button and pick Windows PowerShell (Admin).
  5. When the new window opens, copy and paste the following command, and then press Enter:

    Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\\AppXManifest.xml” -Verbose Advanced MS Edge reset 2

Instructions for Chromium-based Edge

Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):

  1. Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
  2. Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove. Remove extensions from Chromium Edge

Clear cache and site data:

  1. Click on Menu and go to Settings.
  2. Select Privacy, search and services.
  3. Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  4. Under Time range, pick All time.
  5. Select Clear now. Clear browser data from Chroum Edge

Reset Chromium-based MS Edge:

  1. Click on Menu and select Settings.
  2. On the left side, pick Reset settings.
  3. Select Restore settings to their default values.
  4. Confirm with Reset. Reset Chromium Edge

Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)

Make sure that any suspicious extensions and add-ons haven't been installed to Mozilla Firefox. Then reset the browser. It helps to clean browser from all “Your Windows Is Infected” components.

Remove dangerous extensions:

  1. Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click on the Menu (three horizontal lines at the top-right of the window).
  2. Select Add-ons.
  3. In here, select unwanted plugin and click Remove. Remove extensions from Firefox

Reset the homepage:

  1. Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
  2. Choose Options.
  3. Under Home options, enter your preferred site that will open every time you newly open the Mozilla Firefox.

Clear cookies and site data:

  1. Click Menu and pick Settings.
  2. Go to Privacy & Security section.
  3. Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
  4. Click on Clear Data…
  5. Select Cookies and Site Data, as well as Cached Web Content and press Clear. Clear cookies and site data from Firefox

Reset Mozilla Firefox

If clearing the browser as explained above did not help, reset Mozilla Firefox:

  1. Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
  2. Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information. Reset Firefox 1
  3. Under Give Firefox a tune up section, click on Refresh Firefox…
  4. Once the pop-up shows up, confirm the action by pressing on Refresh Firefox. Reset Firefox 2

Remove from Google Chrome

”Your Windows Is Infected” adware may have installed numerous extensions and tracking cookies to Chrome. Follow the steps to remove them all:

Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

  1. Open Google Chrome, click on the Menu (three vertical dots at the top-right corner) and select More tools > Extensions.
  2. In the newly opened window, you will see all the installed extensions. Uninstall all the suspicious plugins that might be related to the unwanted program by clicking Remove. Remove extensions from Chrome

Clear cache and web data from Chrome:

  1. Click on Menu and pick Settings.
  2. Under Privacy and security, select Clear browsing data.
  3. Select Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, as well as Cached images and files.
  4. Click Clear data. Clear cache and web data from Chrome

Change your homepage:

  1. Click menu and choose Settings.
  2. Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
  3. Click on Open a specific or set of pages and click on three dots to find the Remove option.

Reset Google Chrome:

If the previous methods did not help you, reset Google Chrome to eliminate all the unwanted components:

  1. Click on Menu and select Settings.
  2. In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
  3. Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
  4. Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
  5. Confirm with Reset settings. Reset Chrome 2

Delete from Safari

Remove unwanted extensions from Safari:

  1. Click Safari > Preferences…
  2. In the new window, pick Extensions.
  3. Select the unwanted extension and select Uninstall. Remove extensions from Safari

Clear cookies and other website data from Safari:

  1. Click Safari > Clear History…
  2. From the drop-down menu under Clear, pick all history.
  3. Confirm with Clear History. Clear cookies and website data from Safari

Reset Safari if the above-mentioned steps did not help you:

  1. Click Safari > Preferences…
  2. Go to Advanced tab.
  3. Tick the Show Develop menu in menu bar.
  4. From the menu bar, click Develop, and then select Empty Caches. Reset Safari

After uninstalling this potentially unwanted program (PUP) and fixing each of your web browsers, we recommend you to scan your PC system with a reputable anti-spyware. This will help you to get rid of “Your Windows PC has been infected” scam registry traces and will also identify related parasites or possible malware infections on your computer. For that you can use our top-rated malware remover: FortectIntego, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes.

How to prevent from getting adware

Access your website securely from any location

When you work on the domain, site, blog, or different project that requires constant management, content creation, or coding, you may need to connect to the server and content management service more often. The best solution for creating a tighter network could be a dedicated/fixed IP address.

If you make your IP address static and set to your device, you can connect to the CMS from any location and do not create any additional issues for the server or network manager that needs to monitor connections and activities. VPN software providers like Private Internet Access can help you with such settings and offer the option to control the online reputation and manage projects easily from any part of the world.

 

Recover files after data-affecting malware attacks

While much of the data can be accidentally deleted due to various reasons, malware is one of the main culprits that can cause loss of pictures, documents, videos, and other important files. More serious malware infections lead to significant data loss when your documents, system files, and images get encrypted. In particular, ransomware is is a type of malware that focuses on such functions, so your files become useless without an ability to access them.

Even though there is little to no possibility to recover after file-locking threats, some applications have features for data recovery in the system. In some cases, Data Recovery Pro can also help to recover at least some portion of your data after data-locking virus infection or general cyber infection. 

 

About the author
Gabriel E. Hall
Gabriel E. Hall - Passionate web researcher

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