“ISP HAS BLOCKED YOUR PC” technical support scam can freeze your browser

“ISP HAS BLOCKED YOUR PC” is a pop-up that pretends to be legit Microsoft security alert. However, it’s another scammers' attempt to trick users into calling fake tech support line. What is worse, this time crooks use advanced technology that makes the browser unresponsive.
Once “ISP HAS BLOCKED YOUR PC” scam was detected it was thought that it targets Google Chrome users only. However, further investigation has shown that Firefox and Brave can get hacked too.[1]
The significant feature of the “ISP HAS BLOCKED YOUR PC” virus is that it exploits browser vulnerability and might freeze it within 10 seconds. When users are redirected to a malicious website, it not only delivers a fake security pop-up but starts downloading and saving files on the computer.
The latter activity can only be noticed when using a powerful computer. However, the majority of users cannot notice it. However, the affected browser freezes due to thousands of downloads being saved on their devices and high CPU usage which can be seen in the Task Manager.
Therefore, users can get terrified and believe that their devices are infected for real. They cannot close nor browser’s tab neither the browser itself normally. Hence, they only see this scary message:
YOUR ISP HAS BLOCKED YOUR PC. ***
Error # 268D3
Call Microsoft immediately at: +1-888-876-8163
Do not ignore this critical alert.
If you close this page, your PC access will be disabled to prevent further damage to our network.Your PC has alerted us that it has been infected with a virus and spyware. The following information is being stolen…
Facebook Login
> Credit Card Detail
> Your ISP Account Login
> Photos stored on this PC.
You must contact us immediately so that our engineers can walk you through the removal process over the phone. Please call Microsoft within the next 5 minutes to prevent your PC from being disabled.Call Microsoft: +1-888-876-8163
The content of the message almost identical to “Microsoft Corporation HAS BLOCKED YOUR PC” scam which was detected in autumn 2017. Crooks use the same non-existent Error # 268D3[2] and provide a phone number that does not belong to Microsoft.
We want to remind that calling the number will cause you more problems than a frozen browser, such as:
- Trick you into buying security software which is supposed to clean viruses from the computer. However, this trickery might be used to get your credit card information or download malware to your PC.
- Convince you into installing remote access tool and let “technicians” solve the problem easier. In this way, scammers get full access to your computer and can do whatever they want. Hence, your privacy and device are put at tremendous risk.
Redirects to “ISP HAS BLOCKED YOUR PC” tech support scam website are often triggered by other compromised or high-risk websites, such as gaming, gambling, illegal video streaming or adult entertainment sites. However, adware might force you to visit this site too.
In case of adware infiltration, you should remove “ISP HAS BLOCKED YOUR PC” malware from the system using anti-malware software. Tools like FortectIntego can quickly detect and eliminate this cyber threat easily.
However, “ISP HAS BLOCKED YOUR PC” removal also requires force-quitting the browser. There’s no other way to close the unresponsive web browser.

Scammers can reach potential victims who browse through insecure websites
Usually, “ISP HAS BLOCKED YOUR PC” ads appear when users browse through websites that are marked as potentially dangerous. We have mentioned that among those sites are online games, streaming or download sites. Thus, it’s recommended to avoid visiting them.
Security specialists from losvirus.es[3] also remind to be careful with freeware downloads because they might include potentially unwanted programs (PUPs). Thus, if you install software using Quick/Recommended settings, you might let adware into the system, because they do not reveal about “additional downloads.”
To avoid infiltration of undesired apps, you have to rely on Advanced/Custom settings and monitor each of the installation steps. You have to unmark pre-selected downloads to avoid computer infections.
How to get rid of “ISP HAS BLOCKED YOUR PC” scam
If your browser was locked by this cyber threat, you have to force-quit the browser to remove “ISP HAS BLOCKED YOUR PC.” In order to do so, you have to hit CTRL + ALT + DEL on Windows keyboard to open Task Manager. Then quit all the processes related to the affected web browser.
If you suspect that your PC was infected with adware or you have called fake support service and downloaded their asked tools, you should opt for automatic “ISP HAS BLOCKED YOUR PC” removal too and scanning the system with reputable anti-malware.
Uninstall from Windows
Uninstall from Windows 10/8:
- Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
- Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.

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

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

Delete from macOS
Remove the unwanted application:
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).

Delete leftover files and folders:
- Select Go > Go to Folder.
- Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
- Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.

- Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.
Reset Internet Explorer
Remove dangerous add-ons:
- Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top-right corner of the browser
- Pick Manage Add-ons.
- You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.

Change your homepage if it was altered:
- Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
- Select Internet Options.
- In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
- Click Apply and then select OK.

Delete temporary files:
- Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
- Under Browsing history, click Delete...
- Select relevant fields and press Delete.

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

Remove from Microsoft Edge
Delete unwanted extensions from MS Edge:
- Select Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and pick Extensions.
- From the list, pick the extension and click on the Gear icon.
- Click Remove.

Clear cookies and other browser data:
- Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- 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.

Restore new tab and homepage settings:
- Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
- Then find On startup section.
- Click Remove next to any suspicious startup page.
Reset MS Edge if the above steps did not work:
- Press on Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- Click on More details arrow at the bottom of the window.
- Select Details tab.
- 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.

Instructions for Chromium-based Edge
Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):
- Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
- Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.

Clear cache and site data:
- Click on Menu and go to Settings.
- Select Privacy, search and services.
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Under Time range, pick All time.
- Select Clear now.

Reset Chromium-based MS Edge:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- On the left side, pick Reset settings.
- Select Restore settings to their default values.
- Confirm with Reset.
- This will disable extensions and reset startup pages but will not delete bookmarks, saved passwords, or browsing history.

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

Reset the homepage:
- Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
- Choose Settings.
- Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.
Clear cookies and site data:
- Click Menu and pick Settings.
- Go to Privacy & Security section.
- Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
- Click on Clear Data...
- Select Cookies and Site Data and Temporary cached files and pages, then click Clear.

Reset Mozilla Firefox
If clearing the browser as explained above did not help, reset Mozilla Firefox:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
- Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information.

- Under Give Firefox a tune up section, click on Refresh Firefox...
- Once the pop-up shows up, confirm the action by pressing on Refresh Firefox.

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

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

Change your homepage:
- Click menu and choose Settings.
- Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
- 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:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
- Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
- Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
- Confirm with Reset settings.

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

Clear history and website data:
- Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
- Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.

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

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