I’ve heard from a couple of clients and seen a pop-up phishing attempt on their computers recently. A pop-up will appear that warns people their computer has been compromised. This pop-up can be hard to close, so here’s how.
The poorly written report says: Warning we have Detected a Security Error, Due to Suspicious Activity Found On Your Computer. Contact our Certified Live Window Technicians 1-888-711-5651 (Toll Free)
This message is not dismissible. You can click OK or the X but the pop-up will return. You can’t use your browser because this stays on top.
The best way to fix this is to close the browser using the Task Manager. Right-click on the task bar or press CTRL+ALT+DEL and choose Task Manager. Highlight the web browser and choose End Task or right-click and choose End-Task. You can then open your web browser again and continue doing what it was that you were doing before.
In case it is not obvious, do not call the number.
If you are a client using a Community IT-managed computer congratulations – you have our antivirus (AV) installed. Community IT keeps virus definitions and Windows security patches up to date automatically. If you are a client and have questions or concerns or encounter something suspicious, you can always contact support. We love to set your mind at ease!
If you are not a client, it is worthwhile to check that your antivirus is up to date – for this or any new attacks.