How to remove Mydesktopdefender.com ads

Mydesktopdefender.com scam shows fake antivirus notification prompts

Mydesktopdefender.com is one of the thousands of websites that use fraud in order to make users do something they otherwise wouldn't. In this case, it is subscribing to notifications – pop-up type messages that appear on top of all the other apps, regardless of which web page is being visited at the time. It also applies to all browsers – Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, MS Edge, or Safari can all be affected by this issue.

In most cases, users do not visit sites like this one on purpose but instead get redirected from somewhere else. The activity might also sometimes be a direct result of the adware^[1] infection, so it is important to check the system thoroughly. The best thing to do is to ignore these redirects and leave the browser tab immediately. However, users are often curious or are unaware of many scam websites that seek to trick them.

Upon entering the website, people might see some familiar names. To be precise, they are likely to recognize the name of Norton – a security company that specializes in making anti-malware software. The fake message claims that users' computers have been infected with 5 viruses and that they should allegedly update their security software, regardless if they are using Norton or not. Do not be tricked by this pop-up, as it is fake and can result in the installation of potentially unwanted programs or malware.

There are a few components to the Mydesktopdefender.com scam. You should ensure that none of them remain on your system. Below you will find the information needed on how to deal with the intrusive pop-ups from the site as well as how to avoid being scammed in the future.

The fake alerts and how to recognize them

Online fraud has been around for as long as the internet – cybercriminals were quick to realize that it can be used to scam users to benefit financially. This is precisely the reason why we see the rise of such devastating cyber threats as ransomware^[2] or data-stealing malware.

While these computer infections can be particularly dangerous, there is a lesser form of fraud that can be used by crooks – fake alerts. There are plenty of fraudulent messages that are populated on various malicious websites in order to make users perform actions they otherwise wouldn't.

In this case, visitors are being convinced that there are infections already present on the device, and they need to be removed thanks to Norton antivirus. Here is the full message you might encounter:

Norton Security
Your PC is infected with 5 viruses!
ACTION REQUIRED!
Your Norton Subscription Has Expired!
Renew now to keep your pc protected.
If your PC is unprotected, it is at risk for viruses and other malware.

According to the note, the antivirus program's subscription has expired, and they need to renew it in order to allegedly remove the found viruses. In reality, all these statements are false. In most cases, even users who do not use Norton might receive this notification, which is the first red flag.

Even if you do use this security software, do not believe the notifications you encounter on random websites after being redirected^[3] from somewhere else. Crooks rely on users' inexperience and try to frighten them about things that are not actually true.

This is not the first time crooks are trying to use social engineering tricks in order to frighten users. We have previously discussed scams like Your system is infected with (3) viruses, Critical Error, or Pornographic virus alert from Microsoft. Crooks use the familiarity of the tech giants in order to make the fake messages more believable.

Unfortunately, some less IT-savvy individuals might not be familiar with all the technical terms that the scam uses and get tricked into doing what was asked for. In the case of the Mydesktopdefender.com scam (note that this message can manifest on other websites, as crooks often use templates that are simply populated across various malicious sites around the web), the “system scan” is fake. It is a mere image of fake scan results.

Thus, you should never download anything suggested on such websites, as the offered software is likely to be malicious. If you need help protecting yourself from malicious sites like this, we strongly recommend you employ security software with real-time protection feature – SpyHunterCombo Cleaner or MalwarebytesMalwarebytes can be helpful. Also, you should also pay close attention to the URL address the message is coming from – deception can be easily spotted from there.

Stop Mydesktopdefender.com pop-ups

As we already mentioned, the Mydesktopdefender.com scam uses two components – the push notification prompt and the fraudulent notification, which encourages you to download insecure software. It goes without saying that you should not install anything offered, as it might start stealing your passwords or damage your personal computer files.

Nonetheless, if you have agreed for the notifications to be shown, you might receive intrusive pop-ups on your screen at regular intervals. What makes it worse is that these notifications would show up on top of all the other apps, making you accidentally click on embedded links. Besides, the pop-ups are extremely intrusive and can come at any time, disrupting normal PC activities.

In order to stop the ads, you should access the site settings of your browser. Below you will find instructions on how to do that on all modern web browsers.

Google Chrome (desktop):

1. Open Google Chrome browser and go to Menu > Settings.
2. Scroll down and click on Advanced.
3. Locate the Privacy and security section and pick Site Settings > Notifications.
4. Look at the Allow section and look for a suspicious URL.
5. Click the three vertical dots next to it and pick Block. This should remove unwanted notifications from Google Chrome.

Google Chrome (Android):

1. Open Google Chrome and tap on Settings (three vertical dots).
2. Select Notifications.
3. Scroll down to the Sites section.
4. Locate the unwanted URL and toggle the button to the left (Off setting).

Mozilla Firefox:

1. Open Mozilla Firefox and go to Menu > Options.
2. Click on Privacy & Security section.
3. Under Permissions, you should be able to see Notifications. Click the Settings button next to it.
4. In the Settings – Notification Permissions window, click on the drop-down menu by the URL in question.
5. Select Block and then click on Save Changes. This should remove unwanted notifications from Mozilla Firefox.

Safari:

1. Click on Safari > Preferences…
2. Go to the Websites tab and, under General, select Notifications.
3. Select the web address in question, click the drop-down menu and select Deny.

MS Edge:

1. Open Microsoft Edge, and click the Settings and more button (three horizontal dots) at the top-right of the window.
2. Select Settings and then go to Advanced.
3. Under Website permissions, pick Manage permissions and select the URL in question.
4. Toggle the switch to the left to turn notifications off on Microsoft Edge.

MS Edge (Chromium):

1. Open Microsoft Edge, and go to Settings.
2. Select Site permissions.
3. Go to Notifications on the right.
4. Under Allow, you will find the unwanted entry.
5. Click on More actions and select Block.

Internet Explorer:

1. Open Internet Explorer, and click on the Gear icon at the top-right of the window.
2. Select Internet options and go to the Privacy tab.
3. In the Pop-up Blocker section, click on Settings.
4. Locate web address in question under Allowed sites and pick Remove.

Clean your system

As evident, the prompts from the Mydesktopdefender.com scam site are not real, so you can easily ignore them. However, completely denying the possibility that there could be a potentially unwanted program or malware installed on your device is also not a wise thing to do.

While you might encounter scam websites by just browsing the internet, another reason for browser redirects is adware. These potentially unwanted programs are usually spread in software bundle packages, which results in unintentional installation. This is one of the reasons why most people are not aware that adware is installed on their systems.

The easiest way to check for adware is to scan the device with security software. It can also check whether there are malicious programs running in the background and remove all the components automatically. Of course, if you are aware of which application could be causing redirects to suspicious sites, ads, and other issues, you can also delete it manually. Keep in mind, however, the adware might be either installed as a browser extension or a program (on the system level).

You should also take your time and clean your web browsers thoroughly. Many unwanted applications are programmed to collect user data with the help of tracking technologies such as cookies, which might remain after the PUP is eliminated. Besides, the unwanted ads and redirects might continue.

In order to delete web data and cookies, you need to access the settings section of your web browser – you can find all the details below. Alternatively, you could also employ an automatic maintenance solution FortectIntego for the job.