How to avoid visiting Your Chrome is severely damaged by 13 Malware! scam page
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What kind of scam is "Your Chrome Is Severely Damaged By 13 Malware!"?
There are lots of websites designed to trick users into installing some unwanted application by using one or another scare tactic. "Your Chrome is severely damaged by 13 Malware!" is one of many examples. One of the most popular scare tactics is to display a fake virus notification claiming that a computer is infected and needs to be scanned for malware with a certain application immediately.
This page uses the same tactic for a different reason - its purpose is to trick visitors into allowing it to show notifications. However, it is very likely that its notifications are used to advertise shady apps, untrustworthy pages, etc.
It is worth mentioning that it is uncommon for websites like this one to be visited intentionally. Usually, they get opened through deceptive ads, other websites of this kind, or shady apps that users have unknowingly installed on their browsers/computers.
"Your Chrome Is Severely Damaged By 13 Malware!" scam in detail
This page is designed to display a fake virus alert disguised as a Google Security warning claiming that the Chrome browser is severely damaged by thirteen malicious programs designed to display aggressive advertisements. As stated in that fake notifications, detected malware has to be removed before it leaks sensitive data such as messages, images, passwords, and other important information.
As mentioned in the introduction paragraph, the main purpose of this website is to trick visitors into clicking the "Allow" button/allowing it to show notifications. It encourages visitors to click the "Allow" button to scan the device and protect it from spam, malware, and ads with a Google Play-approved application.
As a rule, deceptive websites like this one display notifications containing ads for untrustworthy websites, questionable applications, etc. Therefore, it is strongly recommended not to allow websites of this kind to show notifications.
As mentioned in the previous paragraph, it is uncommon for websites of this type to be visited intentionally. Quite often, they get opened through installed shady apps. It is important to mention that many apps of this kind can generate advertisements and gather browsing-related data and other information.
They generate banners, coupons, surveys, pop-up ads, or other types of ads. Quite often, ads generated by adware-type apps are used to promote questionable websites. Sometimes, they can be designed to cause downloads or even installations by executing certain scripts.
Furthermore, most apps of this kind collect browsing-related details. For example, geolocations, entered search queries, URLs of visited websites, Internet Protocol addresses. Although, sometimes, they can access credit card details, passwords, and other details that may be misused to steal online accounts, make fraudulent purchases, transactions, and so on.
Name | Your Chrome is severely damaged by 13 Malware! pop-up |
Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
Fake Claim | Chrome browser is severely damaged (infected) |
Disguise | Google Security website |
Related Domain | high-benefits[.]com, letsprotectphone[.]com, deviceunder-shield[.]com, browse-defense[.]com, defenderfordevice[.]com |
Serving IP Address | 172.67.207.112 |
Symptoms | Fake error messages, fake system warnings, pop-up errors, hoax computer scan. |
Distribution methods | Compromised websites, rogue online pop-up ads, potentially unwanted applications. |
Damage | Loss of sensitive private information, monetary loss, identity theft, possible malware infections. |
Malware Removal (Windows) | To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. |
Similarities with other online scams
In conclusion, websites that display fake virus, error notifications are designed to trick visitors into downloading and installing unwanted, potentially malicious programs or allowing them to show notifications designed to promote unwanted apps, untrustworthy pages.
In one way or another, websites of this type cannot be trusted and should not be allowed to show notifications. A couple of examples of similar websites are "Your Device Might Have Security Issues", "Your Device Is Infected With A Spam Virus", "Microsoft Security Essentials Alert".
How did unwanted applications install on my computer?
Typically, users cause unwanted downloads or installations by clicking deceptive advertisements that appear on untrustworthy websites and are designed to run certain scripts, or together with other programs. It is common for apps of this kind to be distributed using a "bundling" method. In such cases, unwanted apps are included in downloaders, installers for other programs as additional offers.
As a rule, unwanted offers are mentioned in "Custom", "Advanced", "Manual", or other similar settings. When users leave those settings unchanged (or checkboxes ticked), they agree to download or install offered applications. It is worth mentioning that unwanted apps are bundled mostly with free programs.
How to avoid installation of unwanted applications?
It is strongly recommended to download programs, files from official websites (and via direct links) and not to use third-party downloaders (and installers), torrent clients, eMule (and other Peer-to-Peer networks), unofficial pages, and so on. As mentioned in the previous paragraph, downloaders and installers with settings like "Custom", "Advanced" can be used to distribute unwanted apps.
Therefore, they should be checked for offers to download or install bundled applications before finishing downloads, installations. Also, it is recommended to avoid clicking ads that sites related to gambling, pornography, adult dating, and other questionable pages have on them.
It is common for those ads to be designed to open potentially malicious pages or cause unwanted downloads, or even installations. If there is some unwanted or suspicious add-on, plug-in, or extension installed on a browser or program of this kind installed on the operating system, then it should be uninstalled as soon as possible.
If your computer is already infected with PUAs, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate them.
Appearance of the "Your Chrome is severely damaged by 13 Malware!" scam website (GIF):
Text in the pop-up window:
YOUR DEVICE HAS BEEN COMPROMISED!
Immediate Action is Required!
OK
Text in the background:
Google Security
Thursday
17 June 2021
WARNING! Your Chrome is severely damaged by 13 Malware!We have detected that your Chrome is (62%) DAMAGED by Tor.Jack Malware. Malicious and Aggressive Ads have injected this on your device.
Immediate Action is required to Remove and Prevent it from spreading that will leak sensitive data from your device. It includes your Social Media Accounts, Messages, Images, Passwords, and Important Data.Here is how you can solve this easily in just a few seconds.
Step 1: Click the button below, "Allow error alerts," then subscribe to recommended spam protection app on the next page.
Step 2: Run the powerful Google Play-approved application to clear your phone from SPAM ads and block potential Malware with a few taps.
Clean my Device
Detected By: Google
Instant automatic malware removal:
Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
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Quick menu:
- What is Your Chrome is severely damaged by 13 Malware! pop-up?
- 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.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is a pop-up scam?
It is a type of scam that scammers use to trick unsuspecting visitors into performing certain actions. Most of these scams are delivered by deceptive (untrustworthy) pages.
What is the purpose of a pop-up scam?
Pop-up scams are mostly used to either spread malware or gather personal information. Also, they are used to trick visitors into paying money for fake or unnecessary services or products.
Why do I encounter fake pop-ups?
Most scams of this kind are promoted via pages that use questionable advertising networks, deceptive advertisements, shady applications, website notifications, or using search engine poisoning techniques. In all cases, these pages rarely are visited intentionally (scammers use deceptive methods to promote these websites).
Will Combo Cleaner protect me from pop-up scams?
Combo Cleaner is designed to scan every visited website and detect untrustworthy pages. Sites designed to deliver pop-up scams also fall under this category. Therefore, this application will detect such pages and restrict access to them.
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