Edge Frozen with Virus Warning Popup

Anonymous
2015-08-10T20:42:30+00:00

After navigating to a web page, a popup hijacked the Edge browser.

The popup is a false virus warning, with audio, that repeats endlessly.

I used Task Manager to close Edge browser, but after re-opening, it returns to the hijacked page.  There is no time to open another tab, or reach settings.  How can this be cleared.

First I tried searching for /user/appdata for Edge entries, and only found a couple, deleted them, but no effect.

I launched msconfig, and set to boot to Safe Mode, minimal.  I tried launching Edge in Safe, but you get a warning saying Edge will not launch using the built in administrator account. IE still ran, but no network (as you might expect).  I cleared history in IE.  But then was unable to relaunch msconfig!  Pressing Start flashed a start menu but it disappeared. Selecting the search box wound not search.  I ended up launching Control Panel using win+x, and finding System Configuration that way.

When I returned to normal Windows, Edge was set back to its home page. 

Clearly this is not a good work around. I can't imagine explaining it to my little niece or grandmother.

Please suggest something more rational.

[Moved from Windows]

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Security and privacy

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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Anonymous
2015-08-13T17:59:55+00:00

When this happened to me, I closed Microsoft Edge using the Task Manager.

Then in the search bar next to the Windows 10 logo on the bottom off the screen (I call it the "Cortana Search"), I typed in google.com and hit enter.

Microsoft Edge opened up with a new tab for Google.  You can see the offending site still opens in a tab that doesn't have focus.  Click the "X" to close Edge. Do not click on the offending site tab or it will get focus again.

When Edge closes nicely, I won't "Restore" the sessions and the offending site tab will be gone.

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Anonymous
2017-04-25T22:28:31+00:00

This did not work. It closed the offending page, but when I re-opened Edge it popped back up again. 

It's a common scam. Click the OK button at the bottom of the popup. You should then see a box Do not allow this site to create new messages. Check it and then close the window.

If that doesn't work, for Edge, follow the instructions by Scott_Ki here:

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/protect/forum/protect_other-protect_scanning/edge-frozen-with-virus-warning-popup/7212a393-90ad-48d0-ab55-4ffe1f21a554?page=2&msgId=7618ae67-bf16-4155-bf90-d8a7405ee199

For all other browsers, use the Task Manager to exit the browser. Reboot and see if the pop-up goes away.

How to Use the New Task Manager.

http://www.wikihow.com/Open-Windows-Task-Manager

If the problem persists, for any browser:

Remove Tech Support Scam pop-up (Call For Support Scam)

http://malwaretips.com/blogs/remove-tech-support-scam-popups/

Please read:

PSA: Tech Support Scams Pop-Ups on the Rise

https://blog.malwarebytes.org/fraud-scam/2014/11/psa-tech-support-scams-pop-ups-on-the-rise/

Breaking down a notably sophisticated tech support scam M.O.

https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/mmpc/2017/03/02/breaking-down-a-notably-sophisticated-tech-support-scam-m-o/

For more information, see this post by GreginMich

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/protect/forum/protect_other-protect_scanning/1-888-2361-scam/0990122e-61a9-431b-947e-a904c202fa7c?msgId=8d26f1a8-041a-4351-9c24-a222fb305cbd

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  1. Anonymous
    2016-04-02T21:43:34+00:00

    This issue was fixed for Microsoft Edge several months ago with version 10240. There’s a list of links in this thread – but the original changelog link is already broken – so I guess that means that the fix should now be considered old news:

    http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/protect/forum/protect\_other-protect\_scanning/system-error/dcccc74e-fb98-43a8-8579-956692a40982

    ![](http://fud.community.services.support.microsoft.com/Fud/FileDownloadHandler.ashx?fid=ee279d31-a9d4-478f-8f6a-7303400bfca8)

    The checkbox allows you to close the malicious webpage, and since you no longer have to use Task Manager to end the Edge process, the AutoRecover loop gets circumvented – problem solved. The questions now are whether people will be willing to click on the OK button in order to gain access to this loop-breaking checkbox; and whether they’ll recognize it for what it is; and also whether the fix will be able to withstand the avalanche of rapidly-evolving dialog loop variants. But if the checkbox is coded to stop all running scripts (?) then I guess it might be pretty hard to break.

    GreginMich

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  2. Anonymous
    2016-04-02T21:47:16+00:00

    "Rational Approach:

    1.  Right click any *.html file on your hard drive and choose OPEN WITH from the drop down.  Choose OPEN WITH EDGE.  The file will open, and you'll see the tab for the noxious loop site.  Close the tab.  Done."

    Thanks so much Brett! Your advice worked well for me. 

    Before I closed the tab, I saw a lot of variously sized characters that looked like some sort of Asian? writing. 

    I wonder what everyone else had for security on their pc? I was using AVG which usually works for me.

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  3. Anonymous
    2016-04-03T00:17:55+00:00

    These locked pages aren’t caused by any kind of binary malware that’s been installed on your PC – so AV apps don’t catch this kind of malware. These are really just malicious webpages that generate a modal dialog and then reopen this fake security alert every time you try to close it. Since a modal dialog deactivates your browser’s controls, these Tech Support Scam pages can prevent you from regaining control of your browser just by continuously looping the fake alert.

    That’s why Edge’s developers were able to fix the problem just by adding a “Don’t let this page create more messages” checkbox that appears in every modal dialog after the first loop. The developers called this Dialog Loop Protection, and I’m guessing that it simply terminates every script that’s running on the malicious page. The details are in the link I provided in my previous post.

    GreginMich

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