Pornographic_Spyware Alert – Error Code #0x268d3(00×7) scam (Free Guide)
Pornographic_Spyware Alert – Error Code #0x268d3(00×7) scam Removal Guide
What is Pornographic_Spyware Alert – Error Code #0x268d3(00×7) scam?
“Pornographic_Spyware Alert – Error Code #0x268d3(00×7)” is a scam message that claims that the PC has been locked
Pornographic_Spyware Alert – Error Code #0x268d3(00×7)is a fake alert you should not trust
Pornographic_Spyware Alert – Error Code #0x268d3(00×7) might be encountered by accident while browsing the web on Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, MS Edge, or another web browser. Upon entry to one of the malicious websites that propagate the fake alert, users would be bombarded with several pop-up messages that are meant to induce panic.
The shown message might seem like it's from Microsoft due to the logo used, as well as certain UI elements that can be seen on the official Windows support page. However, the scam has nothing to do with the tech company and is fabricated by online fraudsters that try to scam users into calling the fake support number.
Pornographic_Spyware Alert – Error Code #0x268d3(00×7) error message often claims that several viruses have been found on the system and that the PC has been blocked. Allegedly, the only way to recover from this is by calling tech support from Microsoft. The provided phone number is fake, and you shouldn't trust it, as you might end up paying for fake services – losing money to scammers in the process.
name | Pornographic_Spyware Alert – Error Code #0x268d3(00×7) |
---|---|
Type | Tech support scam, phishing, fake alert |
imitated site | Microsoft Support website |
Scam message | Access to the PC has been blocked |
Scam phone number | +1(866)603 3385 (may vary) |
Symptoms | Fake error messages, fake pop-up errors |
Risks | Do not call the provided phone number of you may suffer from financial losses or even have malware installed on your system |
Removal | Use reliable anti-malware tools to remove adware that causes redirects to this site |
Repair | To check and fix any corrupted Windows files, use the powerful FortectIntego system repair tool |
How do scam messages spread?
Users do not visit malicious websites purposely unless they are willing to risk it deliberately – usually, people access torrents and similar websites that distribute pirated software, despite knowing about the risks. Speaking of which, visiting high-risk sites is one of the primary reasons why users encounter phishing content online, as these pages often host fake “Download” buttons or malicious scripts that redirect them there. To avoid this, please refrain from visiting websites with dubious content and employ a powerful ad-blocker to prevent malicious script execution.
Another reason for persistent browser redirects is adware[1] – a type of potentially unwanted software that spreads via bundling and similar deceptive methods. For this reason, many users might not even be aware that adware is present on their devices. Common symptoms of infection include unexpected browser settings changes (for example, altered homepage and new tab address), increased advertisement activity, redirects to malicious websites, etc.,
Scam authors put your browser in full-screen mode
It is important to note that the scam targets Windows users, as it would make little sense for those using other operating systems (websites can read some basic information as soon as you enter it, including IP address,[2] OS type, and versions, browser type and version, etc.).
Once users enter the malicious page that hosts the scam, their browser would immediately go into full-screen mode with the hopes of frightening visitors. This is a rather clever trick, as many people have never used the browser's full-screen mode, and they wouldn't know how to exit it.
The virus alert is fake, although you should still check your system for adware or other infections
Several pop-up messages would be shown immediately, with the top one saying the following:
Pornographic_Spyware Alert – Error Code #0x268d3(00×7)
Trojan Spyware Alert – Error Code: #0x268d3
Access to this PC has been blocked for security reasons.
In the background, users would also be able to read about how their personal information is being stolen and that their computers and personal safety are allegedly in grave danger. These social engineering[3] tricks are not new and have been used by many other scams, including “Error # WINDOWS-PORN-91” scam, “Error code # MS-6F0EXFE” scam, WARNING CRITICAL MESSAGE, and many others.
How to deal with Pornographic_Spyware Alert – Error Code #0x268d3(00×7) scam alerts
Once users are in a situation with what seems like a locked screen, they tend to panic more, which increases the likelihood of them calling the fake support. However, this is one of the biggest mistakes you could make, as scammers will try to convince you that some special software of a remote connection is required to remediate the situation.
The best thing to do after encountering the fake alert is not to interact with it – don't call the number and don't click any buttons. Instead, you should close down the tab that hosts the scam message immediately. While this might not seem possible immediately, it is actually very easy to do – simply press F11 on your keyboard. This would immediately take you out of the full-screen mode and then you can close the page.
In some cases, it might not be possible to close down the web page due to other tricks used by crooks. In this case, proceed with the following steps:
- Press Win + Shit+ Esc to call up the Task Manager
- Click More details if required
- Find the process of your browser – select it
- Press End task at the bottom-right corner.
Now that you have your browser shut down make sure you check your system for adware. Our first suggestion would be to perform a full system scan with SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes anti-malware software, which would guarantee that all the malicious programs are removed automatically. You can also try looking for adware manually as we explain below.
Look for unwanted programs installed on the system level
Windows
- Enter Control Panel into Windows search box and hit Enter or click on the search result.
- Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.
- From the list, find the entry of the suspicious program.
- Right-click on the application and select Uninstall.
- If User Account Control shows up, click Yes.
- Wait till uninstallation process is complete and click OK.
Mac
While moving apps into Trash is how you delete most normal applications, adware tends to create additional files for persistence. Thus, you should look for .plist and other files that could be related to the virus. If you are not sure, skip this step entirely.
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for all related entries.
- Click on the app and drag it to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash)
To fully remove an unwanted app, you need to access Application Support, LaunchAgents, and LaunchDaemons folders and delete relevant files:
- Select Go > Go to Folder.
- Enter /Library/Application Support and click Go or press Enter.
- In the Application Support folder, look for any dubious entries and then delete them.
- Now enter /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders the same way and terminate all the related .plist files.
Remove suspicious extensions and clean your browsers
Adware might also be installed as an extension on your browser. You can find the installed apps by clicking the “Extension” button next to the settings menu. If that is not possible for some reason, you can also follow the guide below and that would allow you to remove extensions via browser settings.
Your next task is cleaning web browser caches, which includes the removal of cookies. These tiny items are used to perform tracking activities, and various third parties use them to generate ads for you. The gathered data can also be shared, so it is best to remove cookies and other web data to avoid this. You can do it automatically with FortectIntego or follow the guidelines below.
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.
Getting rid of Pornographic_Spyware Alert – Error Code #0x268d3(00×7) scam. Follow these steps
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 the suspicious plugins that might be 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.
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 unwanted plugin and click Remove.
Reset the homepage:
- Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
- Choose Options.
- Under Home options, enter your preferred site that will open every time you newly open the Mozilla Firefox.
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, as well as Cached Web Content and press 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 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 on Uninstall at the bottom.
Clear cookies and other browser data:
- Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Privacy & security.
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Select everything (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 Disable if you found any suspicious domain.
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.
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.
- Find the following folder on your computer: C:\\Users\\%username%\\AppData\\Local\\Packages\\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe.
- Press Ctrl + A on your keyboard to select all folders.
- Right-click on them and pick Delete
- Now right-click on the Start button and pick Windows PowerShell (Admin).
- 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
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.
Delete from Safari
Remove unwanted extensions from Safari:
- Click Safari > Preferences…
- In the new window, pick Extensions.
- Select the unwanted extension and select Uninstall.
Clear cookies and other website data from Safari:
- Click Safari > Clear History…
- From the drop-down menu under Clear, pick all history.
- Confirm with Clear History.
Reset Safari if the above-mentioned steps did not help you:
- Click Safari > Preferences…
- Go to Advanced tab.
- Tick the Show Develop menu in menu bar.
- From the menu bar, click Develop, and then select Empty Caches.
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 Pornographic_Spyware Alert – Error Code #0x268d3(00×7) 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 adware
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.
- ^ Adware. Investopedia. Source of financial content on the web.
- ^ IP address. Wikipedia. The free encyclopedia.
- ^ Social Engineering. Imperva. Application and data security.