Fix fake McAfee / fake Norton popup malware issue

A friend of mine recently came to me for help with a really frustrating problem on Windows, where he kept getting a popup for a phony McAfee renewal. Not only was it constantly getting in his way, but it was also relentlessly beeping at him, making his computer frustrating to use.

Even worse, none of the virus scan programs got rid of it, including Malwarebytes and McAfee itself!

I analyzed it for him and realized it was a simple yet frustrating browser notification hack. The good news is that it's very easy to get rid of.

Before I begin, and this of course goes without saying, do not ever install any supposed fix that the popups say will help you, nor should you ever buy anything to supposedly fix the problem. This is all fraudulent, and they will simply steal your money. Also be aware that this is not a real notification from McAfee/Norton/whatever, but a fraudulent popup made to look like that.

This malware exploits the Notification system on Chrome and Edge, which authorizes malicious websites to push "notifications" to you, which appear on your end as those annoying popups!

Here's how to fix it. Start with Edge, because that's the one they usually hit.


1) Open Microsoft Edge

2) Click the 3 vertical dots on the top right, then click Settings from that menu

3) On the left bar, click "Privacy, search and services"

4) In the main window, click "Site permissions"

5) Click "All Permissions" in the main window

6) Click "Notifications" in the main window

7) In the main window, look for "Allow to send notifications". If any sites are listed there, examine them closely. Unless these are sites you are SURE you want notifications from, click on the three dots next to them, and select "Remove". They should disappear.

You can close the window at this point. Then reboot. This should stop the issue. If it doesn't, then do it for Chrome, too:




Chrome:

1) Open Google Chrome

2) Click the 3 vertical dots on the top right, then click Settings from that menu

3) On the left bar, click "Privacy and security"

4) Click on "Site Settings" in the main menu near the bottom

5) Click on "Notifications" in the main menu near the bottom

6) Under "Customized behaviors", look at the sites under the heading "Allowed to send notifications"

7) If any sites are listed there, examine them closely. Unless these are sites you are SURE you want notifications from, click on the three dots next to them, and select "Remove". They should disappear.



Remember, you only need to do this for Chrome if the Edge steps don't take care of the issue.