IMPORTANT: Do not click any of the fake alerts. The notifications alone are harmless. The infection risk only starts if a popup is clicked.
Overview
Scareware browser notifications are fake security alerts pushed through browser notification permissions. This guide covers how to remove them from both Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome on Windows.
Part 1 - Microsoft Edge
Edge - Step 1 - Remove Suspicious Notification Permissions
- Open Microsoft Edge
- Paste the following into the address bar and press Enter:
edge://settings/content/notifications- Under Allow, find any suspicious site entries
- Click the three dots next to each one and select Remove
Edge - Step 2 - Check Popup Permissions
- Paste the following into the address bar and press Enter:
edge://settings/content/popups- Confirm nothing suspicious is in the Allow list and remove any that are
Edge - Step 3 - Check Extensions
- Paste the following into the address bar and press Enter:
edge://extensions- Remove any extension you do not recognize
Edge - Step 4 - Verify Windows Notifications
- Open Windows Settings > System > Notifications
- Confirm the suspicious site entries are gone
NOTE: Suspicious entries only disappear from Windows Notifications once they are removed in Edge. Toggling them off in Windows does not remove them.
Edge - Step 5 - Run a Full Antivirus Scan
- Run a full antivirus scan to confirm the system is clean
Part 2 - Google Chrome
Chrome - Step 1 - Remove Suspicious Notification Permissions
- Open Google Chrome
- Paste the following into the address bar and press Enter:
chrome://settings/content/notifications- Under Allowed to send notifications, find any suspicious site entries
- Click the three dots next to each one and select Remove
Chrome - Step 2 - Check Popup Permissions
- Paste the following into the address bar and press Enter:
chrome://settings/content/popups- Confirm nothing suspicious is in the Allowed list and remove any that are
Chrome - Step 3 - Check Extensions
- Paste the following into the address bar and press Enter:
chrome://extensions- Remove any extension you do not recognize
Chrome - Step 4 - Verify Windows Notifications
- Open Windows Settings > System > Notifications
- Confirm the suspicious site entries are gone
NOTE: Suspicious entries only disappear from Windows Notifications once they are removed in Chrome. Toggling them off in Windows does not remove them.
Chrome - Step 5 - Run a Full Antivirus Scan
- Run a full antivirus scan to confirm the system is clean
