Windows Firewall Blocked The Internet Scam

What is Windows Firewall Blocked The Internet?

"Windows Firewall Blocked The Internet" is a fake pop-up error message displayed by a malicious website. Users are redirected to this site by various potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) that infiltrate systems during installation of regular software (the "bundling" method).

As well as causing redirects, PUPs deliver intrusive online advertisements and record various user-system information.

This pop-up states that there is a security breach and, therefore, the Firewall has blocked Internet access and the issue must be resolved immediately. Users are encouraged to contact "Microsoft's technical support" via a telephone number ("+1-888-81403477") provided. Victims then supposedly receive help in resolving the issue.

Bear in mind, however, that "Windows Firewall Blocked The Internet" is a scam. Cyber criminals attempt to scare and trick victims into calling and paying for technical support that is not required. Therefore, never call the aforementioned telephone number. This error can be removed simply by closing the web browser.

As mentioned above, PUPs also deliver various intrusive advertisements. To achieve this, developers employ a "virtual layer" - a tool that enables placement of third party graphical content on any site. Therefore, pop-ups, banners, coupons, and other displayed ads often conceal underlying website content, thereby significantly diminishing the Internet browsing experience.

In addition, these ads can lead to malicious websites and even accidental clicks might result in high-risk adware or malware infections. Another downside is information tracking. PUPs record IP addresses, URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries, mouse/keyboard activity, geo-locations, and other similar data that might contain private details.

This information is shared with third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) who misuse private details to generate revenue. This behavior can lead to serious privacy issues or even identity theft. For these reasons, we recommend that you uninstall all PUPs immediately.

"Windows Firewall Blocked The Internet" is very similar to Windows Warning Alert, Windows Health Is Critical, Your Windows Is Infected, and dozens of other fake error messages displayed by malicious websites. 

As with Windows Firewall Blocked The Internet, these pop-ups also state that the system is damaged in certain ways, however, their purpose is identical: to generate revenue for the developers. Therefore, you should never believe any statements from these parties. PUPs are have a similar role.

By offering various 'useful features', they attempt to give the impression of legitimacy, however, rather than providing any value for regular users, PUPs cause unwanted redirects, deliver intrusive advertisements, and gather various user-system data.

How did adware install on my computer?

Criminals proliferate PUPs by employing a deceptive marketing method called "bundling", since they know that users often rush the download/installation processes and skip steps. Therefore, bundled apps are hidden within the "Custom/Advanced" settings. Skip this section often leads to inadvertent installation of rogue applications.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

There are two simple steps you should take to prevent system infiltration by PUPs. Firstly, closely analyze each download/installation step using the "Custom" or "Advanced" settings. Secondly, decline offers to download/install additional applications and opt-out of those already included.

Text presented within "Windows Firewall Blocked The Internet" pop-up:

WINDOWS FIREWALL BLOCKED THE INTERNET DUE TO SECURITY BREACH
Please Do Not Shut Down Or Restart Your Computer.
Call Microsoft +1-888-81403477 Get Instant Help On Security Issues. Call On Our Toll Free Number.
Instant Help Without Waiting
Call +1-888-81403477 (Toll Free) and Improve Your Computer’s Health
Be Updated With Windows Our Professional Will Keep you Updated with Latest Software.
Know About Safe Browser
Learn About Safe Browsing Get info on +1-888-81403477
Call Microsoft +1-888-81403477 (Toll Free)

The server is asking for your user name and password. The server reports that is is from 0x80070424 Warning: Firewall Security Breach Detection! Please Call Support +1-888-81403477.

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Quick menu:

• What is "Windows Firewall Blocked The Internet" virus?
• How to identify a pop-up scam?
• How do pop-up scams work?
• How to remove fake pop-ups?
• How to prevent fake pop-ups?
• What to do if you fell for a pop-up scam?

How to identify a pop-up scam?

Pop-up windows with various fake messages are a common type of lures cybercriminals use. They collect sensitive personal data, trick Internet users into calling fake tech support numbers, subscribe to useless online services, invest in shady cryptocurrency schemes, etc.

While in the majority of cases these pop-ups don't infect users' devices with malware, they can cause direct monetary loss or could result in identity theft.

Cybercriminals strive to create their rogue pop-up windows to look trustworthy, however, scams typically have the following characteristics:

• Spelling mistakes and non-professional images - Closely inspect the information displayed in a pop-up. Spelling mistakes and unprofessional images could be a sign of a scam.
• Sense of urgency - Countdown timer with a couple of minutes on it, asking you to enter your personal information or subscribe to some online service.
• Statements that you won something - If you haven't participated in a lottery, online competition, etc., and you see a pop-up window stating that you won.
• Computer or mobile device scan - A pop-up window that scans your device and informs of detected issues - is undoubtedly a scam; webpages cannot perform such actions.
• Exclusivity - Pop-up windows stating that only you are given secret access to a financial scheme that can quickly make you rich.

Example of a pop-up scam:

How do pop-up scams work?

Cybercriminals and deceptive marketers usually use various advertising networks, search engine poisoning techniques, and shady websites to generate traffic to their pop-ups. Users land on their online lures after clicking on fake download buttons, using a torrent website, or simply clicking on an Internet search engine result.

Based on users' location and device information, they are presented with a scam pop-up. Lures presented in such pop-ups range from get-rich-quick schemes to fake virus scans.

How to remove fake pop-ups?

In most cases, pop-up scams do not infect users' devices with malware. If you encountered a scam pop-up, simply closing it should be enough. In some cases scam, pop-ups may be hard to close; in such cases - close your Internet browser and restart it.

In extremely rare cases, you might need to reset your Internet browser. For this, use our instructions explaining how to reset Internet browser settings.

How to prevent fake pop-ups?

To prevent seeing pop-up scams, you should visit only reputable websites. Torrent, Crack, free online movie streaming, YouTube video download, and other websites of similar reputation commonly redirect Internet users to pop-up scams.

To minimize the risk of encountering pop-up scams, you should keep your Internet browsers up-to-date and use reputable anti-malware application. For this purpose, we recommend Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows.

What to do if you fell for a pop-up scam?

This depends on the type of scam that you fell for. Most commonly, pop-up scams try to trick users into sending money, giving away personal information, or giving access to one's device.

• If you sent money to scammers: You should contact your financial institution and explain that you were scammed. If informed promptly, there's a chance to get your money back.
• If you gave away your personal information: You should change your passwords and enable two-factor authentication in all online services that you use. Visit Federal Trade Commission to report identity theft and get personalized recovery steps.
• If you let scammers connect to your device: You should scan your computer with reputable anti-malware (we recommend Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows) - cyber criminals could have planted trojans, keyloggers, and other malware, don't use your computer until removing possible threats.
• Help other Internet users: report Internet scams to Federal Trade Commission.

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