Jump to content

Tech Support Scams use new Tricks to Hold Browsers Hostage


Batu69

Recommended Posts

Browser based Tech Support Scammers keep coming up with new and innovative methods to prevent users from closing their browsers.

While Tech Support Scam Trojans are more difficult to remove then their browser based counterparts, browser based tech support scams are still worrying to many people who encounter them. For many who are not experienced in computers, when they see a fake browser tech support scam message, they become concerned that there is something wrong with their computer.

 

While people are becoming more educated and realize that they are simply no more than an advertisement, tech support scammers are coming up with trickier methods to prevent a user from closing their browser. For example, while recently looking for adware bundles, I ran into a browser based tech support scam that I have not seen before. In this scam, when you move your mouse cursor over the web browser showing the scam, the mouse cursor disappears. Instead you will see a mouse cursor moving randomly over the page, which is the scammers trying to trick you into thinking your mouse is not working properly.

 

This is illustrated in the video below.

 

 

 

As you can see from the above video, I have full control over my mouse when outside the browser Window.  You can also see a mouse cursor moving around on its own in the Window.  When I move my mouse into the browser window, though, I no longer have control over the mouse cursor. This makes it difficult to close the alerts being shown and thus the browser window.

Ultimately, Browser Tech Support Scams are still really easy to close.

Thankfully, no matter what tricks a browser tech support scammer throws at us, there is always a simple weakness. If the browser is closed, the alert goes away with it.

With that said, if you are affected by a browser tech support scam in the future, do not worry and instead simply close the process associated with your browser. To do this you should open task manager by right-clicking on the time displayed in the Windows taskbar as shown below. Then select the Task Manager option.

 

win-10-open-task-manager.png

Open Task Manager

 

When Task Manager opens it will display a list of applications that are currently running. Look for the application that is currently showing the tech support scam and select it by left-clicking on it once.  For example, in the image below I have selected the Google Chrome applications.  To close the application simply click on the End task button as indicated by the blue arrow below.

 

windows-10-task-manager.png

Task Manager

 

Your browser should now close. When you next start the browser, if the browser prompts you to restore any previously open Windows, do not allow it to do so as this will just reopen the tech support scam site.

 

If for some reason you continue to see these types of fake security alerts in your browser, you may be infected with adware.

 

Article source

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Replies 2
  • Views 661
  • Created
  • Last Reply
coromonadalix

Shorter method is :  CRTL + ALT + DELETE    brings up the task manager,  if you have lost the mouse control  you can navigate with the keyboard and kill any open browser you have ............

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Pin the browser to taskbar and end the process from there right clicking the icon? I only have very few pinned there because it looks messed and bloated otherwise.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...