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  • Active
  • Severity: Medium
  • Adware
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Oct 2017

How to remove “Possible Suspicious Activity” virus

A step-by-step removal guide for affected devices. Follow the verified procedure below — most readers complete it in under 10 minutes.

Ugnius Kiguolis · The mastermind

“Possible Suspicious Activity” alerts come from tech support scammers

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“Possible Suspicious Activity” virus defines a browser-based tech support scam. It is universal as it plagues Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge. This sample of scam is more elaborate. Unlike the majority of online deceptions which terrify users with Zeus virus and Facebook login as well as email account log-in data theft, this time, the crooks tied in more technical details to make the scam more realistic.

When users get redirected to a scam site, first of all, the message pops up stating that:

Customer, your system has detected possible suspicious activity. Please call the toll-free number below for a Microsoft Certified technician to help your resolve the issue:
For your safety, please of not open Internet browser to avoid data corruption to the registry of your operating system.
(…)CONTACT MICROSOFT CERTIFIED TECHNICIANS TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE CALLING TOLL FREE 8447756410.

A couple of other alerts follow the latter. The next is called “Warning! Hyper-V Manager.” The very program, Hyper-V Manager, is a virtualization platform introduced by Microsoft in 2008.[1]

Thus, the racketeers loaded a few definition of real programs to persuade users. Though they crowd the pop-up alert with technical details and definitions, the key thing which reveals the origin of the scam is the phone number.

Despite how realistic the scam might seem, if it includes the phone number or an email address, exit the page and clean the browser. The majority of browser-based tech scams are not destructive.

Claims that your data will be corrupted or lost are just lies. However, some online deceptions may temporarily hijack your browser. Thus, clicking on the button “Prevent this page from creating additional dialogues” may not work.

You will need to force shut-down on the browser. In addition, it is recommended to remove “Possible Suspicious Activity” scripts from the browser. You can do so with the assistance of FortectIntego or MalwarebytesMalwarebytes.

October 2017: “Antivirus Detected Some Suspicious Activity” virus starts spreading online

On October 30th, researchers discovered a brand new scam using “Antivirus Detected Some Suspicious Activity” line to trick unsuspecting users into calling fraudsters via provided “toll-free” number. This time, scammers suggest dialing +1-844-665-6888 number for help directly from “Microsoft Technicians.” Calling the fraudsters won't help to resolve the imaginary issue that the deceptive alert warns you about.

Scammers will simply ask you to follow their commands that can eventually result in data loss or a severe computer infection. The pop-up typically appears on pages that look like Microsoft's Support page or another related site because it is filled with forged company's logos all over. Do not let these cheap tricks fool you and convince you to call scammers. Otherwise, you might end up giving them remote access logins or credit card details to people who will use such data for illegal purposes.

Remove “Antivirus Detected Some Suspicious Activity” virus as soon as you can and make these fake alerts disappear once and for good. You can detect the malware sending you these pop-ups using anti-malware or anti-spyware programs that we mentioned earlier.

Keep your computer safe and learn to identify tech support scams

Browser-based tech support scams scripts might be foisted in a variety of websites. Observing the tendency, most likely, you could get directed to such scam when you browse illegal movie streaming sites or torrent sharing domains.

Likewise, “Possible Suspicious Activity” hijack might have occurred as a result of such technique. On the other hand, even if you are cautious, a tech support page might appear if you click on a legitimate ad or banner.[2]

Note that you should be wary of corrupted apps and extensions. They might be a harbinger of a PC version of a tech support scam. The latter cause more elimination troubles. Now let us review “Possible Suspicious Activity” scam removal options.The image displaying

Remove Possible Suspicious Activity virus with ease

First of all, you need to exit the tech support scam site. Click on CTRL+SHIFT+ESC. Find your browser commands in the Task Manager, right-click on them and then choose “End task.”

Now restart the browser. Enter the Settings and clear cookies as well browsing data. In case the redirect page still emerges, reset the browser to remove “Possible Suspicious Activity” virus elements.

It is also advised to scan the browser. The tool will complete “Possible Suspicious Activity” removal procedure. This scam might appear not only in English but in French, Hungarian or Estonian[3] sites.

Uninstall from Windows

Uninstall from Windows 10/8:

  1. Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
  2. Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.Uninstall from Windows 10/8

Uninstall from Windows 7/XP:

  1. Click on Windows Start > Control Panel (Windows XP users should click on Add/Remove Programs).
  2. In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.Uninstall from Windows 7/XP

Remove the unwanted program:

  1. In the Programs and Features window, look for any recently installed suspicious entries, select them, and click Uninstall.
  2. If User Account Control appears, click Yes to confirm, then complete the removal.Uninstall the unwanted program from Windows

Delete from macOS

Remove the unwanted application:

  1. From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
  2. In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).Uninstall from Mac

Delete leftover files and folders:

  1. Select Go > Go to Folder.
  2. Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
  3. Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.Delete leftover files from Mac
  4. Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.

Reset Internet Explorer

Remove dangerous add-ons:

  1. Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top-right corner of the browser
  2. Pick Manage Add-ons.
  3. You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.Remove add-ons from Internet Explorer

Change your homepage if it was altered:

  1. Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
  2. Select Internet Options.
  3. In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
  4. Click Apply and then select OK.Reset IE homepage

Delete temporary files:

  1. Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
  2. Under Browsing history, click Delete...
  3. Select relevant fields and press Delete.Clear temporary files from Internet Explorer

Reset Internet Explorer:

  1. Click on Gear icon > Internet options and select Advanced tab.
  2. Select Reset.
  3. In the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset.Reset Internet Explorer

Remove from Microsoft Edge

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 Remove.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 Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
  2. Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  3. Select Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files. (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 Remove next to any suspicious startup page.

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

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.
  5. This will disable extensions and reset startup pages but will not delete bookmarks, saved passwords, or browsing history.Reset Chromium Edge

Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)

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 the unwanted extension 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 Settings.
  3. Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.

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 and Temporary cached files and pages, then click 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

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 suspicious extensions 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 dangerous extensions:

  1. Open Safari, click Safari in the menu at the top-left of the screen, and select Preferences.
  2. Go to the Extensions tab, look for any suspicious entries, and click Uninstall to remove them.Remove extensions from Safari

Clear history and website data:

  1. Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
  2. Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.Clear history from Safari

Reset Safari:

  1. Click Safari in the menu and select Preferences > Advanced.
  2. Enable Show Develop menu in menu bar.
  3. From the menu bar, click Develop and select Empty Caches.Reset Safari

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