Windows 10: Microsoft Critical Error Scam via hacked link. Any malware risk?

The other evening, and it was literally the last click of the day, and I looked up some details on a cactus of all things. The site I clicked on via a search in Bing immediately brought up this (which had me going for a moment). There was also an alarm sound, and the tab in question displays as 'Microsoft Edge' in a pulsating red/orange colour.

Although this is a scam, I wondered also if there was any risk of anything entering the system. Defender didn't even blink and I felt that as it was just a web page being viewed there was little risk. What do you think ?

To be 100% sure I rolled back to an image made a few hours earlier.

This is certainly one of the more sophisticated attacks I have personally encountered although the language used (and spelling mistake) help mark it out. Makes a change from Flash Player being out of date anyhow.









:)

 

edge browser problem with scam popup message of critical error

how do I close out a page on my edge browser that says critical system error. with audio instructions to call some number. they want to sell you malware protection.

<Modified title to include with scam popup message of critical error>

 

Unusual account access

It is a scam.

Never, ever click on a link in an unsolicited e-mail and never, ever believe anything via a phone call.

You should immediately change any and all passwords that you use. Check for MalWare on your computer.

 

I would run a full Malwarebytes scan just for ya piece of mind pal *Smile

 

Thanks *Smile I restored back to a previous disk image so all trace would be vamoosed.

 

Microsoft does not contact people individually. Anytime you see such a display or get a call from "Microsoft,", best to ignore it.

The red colors & flashing banners are specifically crafted by scammers to put you into panic mode, so that you'll call them immediately without a second thought.

 

Thanks *Smile Yes I realise its a scare tactic but what I was really wondering though was whether such a page can sneak malware onto your system undetected.

What made this one even more alarming (literally) was the incessant audible beeping.

 

The presence of the contact number is a dead giveaway that this is a scam. Microsoft has explicitly stated that their software does not do this. Also of interest is the statement asking you not to consult with a Microsoft support center. If you were to do this you would be told the truth that this is a scam.

Any website could install malware. But typically this would be done silently with no visible signs. A high priority in the design of malware is to avoid suspicion that there is an infection and allow it to do it's work over a long period of time. Some malware has existed for years without the user having any knowledge of it's presence. Putting up a a message like that shown would arouse suspicions of the user. But either the message was created by the website owner or it was hacked so you can never be sure.

 

Never ran onto a noisy one, but I imagine it's annoying.

You may wish to run all your malware scanners just to double check, that never hurts. Especially the way things are on the net nowadays.

 

If you look closely at the top left tab in the image then you will see the audio speaker symbol. Its not just the annoyance of the noise, its presence disrupts your normal rational thought process.

I even looked back in Edge history the next morning, before running the restore, in the 'hope' of finding the page again. It was there but opened normally every time. If it had been the same I would have reported it using the unsafe site do-dah.

I'll mark this one as done and dusted, and hopefully anyone encountering similar will not panic to much.