Computer has been compromised

J

JOhnH

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Right Seater
Several times in the past month, while on "trusted" websites, like POA and Beechtalk, and one "not so trusted" site (AT&T/Yahoo Mail), I received a big red screen that says my computer has been compromised and that I should call the technical support number they display. There is a warning not to close the screen or my data, passwords and settings may be lost.

So naturally, I close the screen (by closing the browser) and run my antivirus (Webroot) and Malwarebytes (Pro version). It never finds anything and I see no other ill-effects, but then a few days or weeks later it happens again.

Any suggestions or advice?
 
Here is my theory, as I’ve heard of a similar thing like this before. It’s nothing more than a scam. If you call the technical support number, it will send you to foreign scammers who claim they will fix your computer for a fee. DO NOT call the number. Just close the browser and resume your activities. Ignore it.
 
itsatrap.jpg
 
Don’t listen to anyone else but me. Next time it happens call me and I will access your computer remotely and fix it. I will need a credit card number to provide the service of course.
 
Maybe run a rootkit finder. I'm not sure which ones work well these days since I'm out of that end of the business now.

Rich
 
What you're seeing is a web popup, not a legitimate warning but you already knew that. It is a phishing expedition.

Recommendation? Don't call the number. Get better web protection so the popup can't get through.
 
JOhnH said:
I received a big red screen
Click to expand...
Can you elaborate? This is a very vague definition.
Is it just an ad inside the webpage? (typical scam, beware)
Is it a popup in a web browser? (typical Google crap adsense scam, beware)
Is it a separate application window? (BEWARE, you have a virus)
 
BigBadLou said:
Can you elaborate? This is a very vague definition.
Is it just an ad inside the webpage? (typical scam, beware)
Is it a popup in a web browser? (typical Google crap adsense scam, beware)
Is it a separate application window? (BEWARE, you have a virus)
Click to expand...
The browser page that I was on seemed to be redirected to a different site. The background of the site was red and there was a popup that required a response so I couldn't close the popup box to exit the site without clicking their ok button. I didn't want to do that, so all I could do was close the browser, which also had a half dozen tabs open.
 
Gotcha.
Easy to fix.
Block the malware website (to which you were redirected).
Block ads, especially Google C*apsense popups.
Get a better browser. (no, IE does not count as a quality browser)
I have not seen an ad in years. Not sure how all the sheeple out there can tolerate all the sh*t that pops up on screen, spins, twirls, blinks, flashes, honks and otherwise annoys a user who just wants to quietly read some educational articles and download sheep pron. :D
 
BigBadLou said:
Gotcha.
Easy to fix.
Block the malware website (to which you were redirected).
Block ads, especially Google C*apsense popups.
Get a better browser. (no, IE does not count as a quality browser)
I have not seen an ad in years. Not sure how all the sheeple out there can tolerate all the sh*t that pops up on screen, spins, twirls, blinks, flashes, honks and otherwise annoys a user who just wants to quietly read some educational articles and download sheep pron. :D
Click to expand...
I haven't used IE for years. I switched to Firefox and it was ok for a while, but then it began causing a bunch of problems, so I switched to Chrome. Over the past few years I bounced back and forth between FF and Chrome when the started acting up. I guess it's time to try FF again, or maybe look at a new one.
 
When I got that scam message recently, I found this about it on the Microsoft Web site:

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...s/b7d05291-b9cb-4de6-97bd-ef7afdb98a60?auth=1

One of the links there leads to a more detailed explanation, which starts out with this:

"The Internet Security Alert Tech Support Scam is an web browser advertisement shown by scammy remote tech support companies that try to scare visitors into thinking that their computer has a virus, their computer has something wrong with it, and that data may be compromised. I want to make it clear that if you see this alert in a web browser then your computer is fine! This is just an advertisement and you should not call the number or purchase any services from them."​
 
Challenged said:
Installing uBlock Origin for either Chrome or Firefox might help if they're web-based popups:
Chrome: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/ublock-origin/cjpalhdlnbpafiamejdnhcphjbkeiagm
Firefox: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ublock-origin/
https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock
Click to expand...

+1 for uBlock Origin. Light weight and blocks TONS of garbage. Occasionally you may need to pause it to access items on sites that you want but well worth it for everything that it blocks. It even works good on YouTube. And its free.
 
Some of the DD-WRT router OSs have some pretty nice ad blocking features too, plus anything connecting to the router is protected.
 
Hi.
It's a Scam.
Do Not Call or click on the site. Turn your browser Off and if you can disconnect from the Local Area Network.
Typically what they do, likely from a site you visited and or a Free app. you picked up a virus that attached itself to Chrome and or Firefox. In your task manager you can look for 2 instances csrss.exe running or multiple instances of FF.
Run SuperAntispyware free and ADWCleaner free, or any other similar you like, and restart your PC, update your FF or Chrome and restart. They both were attacked and penetrated the last couple of months, updates typically fixes it.
 
I get the same BS on my tablet running Anroid now and then. It's annoying when it forces me to kill the browser, losing track of what I was doing. But, don't click on the link or call the number. SPAM!
 
Another aspect of being old is this: I just noticed that the output resulting from the use of [quote and [/quote has changed. When did this happen?
 
And the ad blockers aren't a panacea... they create their own odd behaviors now and then. If you're technically proficient enough to know when to turn your ad-blocker on or off, you're probably smart enough to know to ignore the bogus tech support scams. We have found that the Premium version of Malwarebyes does a fair job or protecting you from being exposed to bad websites.

BTW, we've found a lot of these kind of pop-ups emanate from pseudo news pages or the ads on them. Beware of those cute "what do they look like now?" stories, or the lurid "3-breasted monkey" stories. I won't allow clients to have Yahoo or MSN as their home page, because they're only a couple of clicks away from some potentially bad websites. (not to mention the time wasted...)
 
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CT4ME said:
... Beware of those cute "what do they look like now?" stories...
Click to expand...
I don't see the appeal in that type of click bait. What, is it a surprise to anyone that people get old? :rolleyes1:
 
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