“ISP HAS BLOCKED YOUR PC” scam (Easy Removal Guide) - Microsoft Support Scam

“ISP HAS BLOCKED YOUR PC” scam Removal Guide

What is “ISP HAS BLOCKED YOUR PC” scam?

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

Screenshot of “ISP HAS BLOCKED YOUR PC” scam

“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.

Image of “ISP HAS BLOCKED YOUR PC” tech support scam“ISP HAS BLOCKED YOUR PC” scam no only tricks into calling fake Microsoft support but might make affected browser unresponsive too.

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.

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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What to do if failed?
If you failed to fix virus damage using Fortect Intego, submit a question to our support team and provide as much details as possible.
Fortect Intego has a free limited scanner. Fortect Intego offers more through scan when you purchase its full version. When free scanner detects issues, you can fix them using free manual repairs or you can decide to purchase the full version in order to fix them automatically.
Alternative Software
Different software has a different purpose. If you didn’t succeed in fixing corrupted files with Fortect, try running SpyHunter 5.
Alternative Software
Different software has a different purpose. If you didn’t succeed in fixing corrupted files with Intego, try running Combo Cleaner.

Getting rid of “ISP HAS BLOCKED YOUR PC” scam. Follow these steps

Uninstall from Windows

In order to get rid of “ISP HAS BLOCKED YOUR PC” pop-up, you have to press Ctrl + Alt + Del to run Windows Task Manager. In the running processes, find the ones that belong to your Chrome, Firefox or Brave web browser (or another browser which was infected) and terminate them.

Then, check the system for adware or malware. The instructions below will help you to wipe out this cyber threat. However, you should not forget taking care of affected browsers too.

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

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)

Follow these steps to recover Mozilla Firefox after the “ISP HAS BLOCKED YOUR PC” hijack:

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

Look up for suspicious Chrome extensions and reset the browser as shown below:

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 “ISP HAS BLOCKED YOUR PC” 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 malware

Stream videos without limitations, no matter where you are

There are multiple parties that could find out almost anything about you by checking your online activity. While this is highly unlikely, advertisers and tech companies are constantly tracking you online. The first step to privacy should be a secure browser that focuses on tracker reduction to a minimum.

Even if you employ a secure browser, you will not be able to access websites that are restricted due to local government laws or other reasons. In other words, you may not be able to stream Disney+ or US-based Netflix in some countries. To bypass these restrictions, you can employ a powerful Private Internet Access VPN, which provides dedicated servers for torrenting and streaming, not slowing you down in the process.

Data backups are important – recover your lost files

Ransomware is one of the biggest threats to personal data. Once it is executed on a machine, it launches a sophisticated encryption algorithm that locks all your files, although it does not destroy them. The most common misconception is that anti-malware software can return files to their previous states. This is not true, however, and data remains locked after the malicious payload is deleted.

While regular data backups are the only secure method to recover your files after a ransomware attack, tools such as Data Recovery Pro can also be effective and restore at least some of your lost data.

About the author
Alice Woods
Alice Woods - Likes to teach users about virus prevention

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