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  • Active
  • Severity: High
  • Malware
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Dec 2017

How to remove “Porn virus detected” Microsoft support scam virus

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

Jake Doevan · Computer technology expert

“Porn virus detected” scam is a fake message seeking to steal the money from unaware PC users

“Porn Virus Detected” scam has been used to scare people and convince them to call Microsoft Support Team via 1 844 786 8921 number. Even though computer users are familiar with similar tech support scams like “Microsoft Warning Alert,” “Microsoft Alert,” and many other, somehow hackers manage to trick people to think that “Porn Virus Detected” fake error is legitimate.

Researchers also say that the alert is also known as “Microsoft Has Detected A Porn Virus”. At this point, we want to assure you that it is merely an attempt to lure you into doing something that would disadvantage you financially or in some other ways[1]. If you are annoyed by the fake pop-up, you can remove “Porn Virus Detected” pop-up by following our elimination instructions that are attached just below this article.

Speaking about the activity of the virus, it redirects users to malicious websites which then open dialog windows informing that some major security infringement has occurred on their computers. In the case of Porn Virus Detected hijack, the potential victims are threatened that they have been infected with some malware they picked up while browsing on adult content websites.

Be aware that there are other scare tactics that the scammers may employ. For instance, “Windows Defender Alert: Zeus Virus” tricks its victims into thinking their computers are infected with a malicious Zeus virus, and their banking credentials and even finances are at risk.

To employ scamming techniques, hackers urge to call “certified” Microsoft Support Team via the toll-free number. However, your system is not actually at risk and is probably infected with some adware, at best.

Therefore, you shouldn't even consider contacting the criminals since the supposed tech support number actually transfers you to the scammers who will then use all their wits to gain some profit out of you. They might even ask you for the remote access[2] of your device and try to rig its system and charge you money for its repair.

While they have their hands on your computer, the criminals may also install some tracking software, keyloggers and phishing programs to spy on your browsing activity. Thus, it is crucial to start “Porn Virus Detected Virus” removal as soon as the first pop-up appears on your screen. You can only imagine the consequences if you fail to do so in time. You can pick a professional security software and get rid of it within seconds. We recommend using FortectIntego or MalwarebytesMalwarebytes.

The presence of PUPs is the reason why you see fake alert messages

Fake alerts do not spread on their own. Instead, they travel together with potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) that are bundled with freeware. They can infiltrate into your system without your knowledge if you tend to download software from suspicious websites without a decent inspection. 

Experts from SenzaVirus.it[3] note that you can protect your system from PUPs if you always choose Advanced or Custom settings and unmark all pre-selected permissions to install unknown programs.

Additionally, it is important to stay away from sponsored ads and other malicious content that is widely accessible on the web. Remember that even if you accidentally click on advertisements that might seem genuine, you risk installing malware or other computer infections on your system. 

Detailed explanation of “Microsoft Has Detected A Porn Virus” elimination process

First of all, we advise you not to try to remove “Porn Virus Detected” virus yourself. If you have contacted the criminals, they might have installed other malicious software on your PC, such as spyware, adware or even ransomware.

Besides, potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) are closely related to additional plug-ins or browser extensions seeking to disrupt computer's performance and initiate other problems. Thus, to make sure that your system is safe, it is not enough to detect and eliminate only the adware program. 

Even though “Porn Virus Detected” removal is a complicated process, we offer free termination instructions that you can use. They are located at the end of this article. If you follow them carefully, they will help you to detect the PUP and get rid of the annoying fake pop-up.

However, we still recommend opting for automatic elimination of the adware. You can download a powerful security software and let it scan your files attentively. Note that it is the best solution to grant your system's safety.

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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