Windows Detected Potential Threats On Your Computer fake alert Removal Guide

Do you know what Windows Detected Potential Threats On Your Computer fake alert is?

Windows Detected Potential Threats On Your Computer fake alert is a threat that shows a fictitious message supposed to be from the computer’s operating system. It tries to convince the user the device could be under an attack and so his privacy or files located on the computer could be in danger. In reality, there is nothing wrong with the computer, except there could be some adware application that shows this notification. In which case, besides Windows Detected Potential Threats On Your Computer fake alert, the user could also see various questionable advertising content coming from unknown sources. If the situation sounds familiar, we encourage you to read the rest of our article and learn more about this threat. Additionally, we would suggest looking at the removal guide available at the end of this article as it may help you get rid of this notification.

Naturally, if Windows Detected Potential Threats On Your Computer fake alert is not shown by your operating system or other legit software on the computer, there should be an unreliable application responsible for it, e.g., adware, potentially unwanted programs, etc. Often, users install such threats accidentally by downloading installers bundled with them and paying no attention to the information on the configuration wizard. As a result, the bundled threat might be installed automatically without the user noticing anything.

Also, questionable applications can be downloaded willingly by less attentive users who do not bother to research the chosen or suggested tool before installing it. One way or the other, it is most likely the program responsible for the notification gets downloaded by less experienced and more careless users. Thus, to protect the system in the future, we would recommend paying more attention to the tools you choose to install. Moreover, it would be advisable to download them only from legitimate web pages and have a reputable antimalware tool just in case.

Furthermore, the text on Windows Detected Potential Threats On Your Computer fake alert should claim “Windows Detected Potential Threats On Your Computer” and “Windows Security Essentials was unable to block the virus.” To solve this problem and protect the device the notification should suggest getting help by calling a particular telephone number: “More Information & Support Please Contact (866) 201-6421.” Needless to say, we would strongly advise against it since instead of talking to technical support you might end up speaking with cybercriminals. These people may want to gain access to the system, tell you to download malicious applications or purchase overpriced and unnecessary tools, etc.

The best solution after encountering Windows Detected Potential Threats On Your Computer fake alert is to close it as fast as possible. Then our computer security specialists recommend resetting the affected browser and deleting the threat responsible for showing it. The removal guide available a bit below will explain how to achieve this manually, but if it looks too complicated do not hesitate to employ a reputable antimalware tool instead.

Eliminate the application responsible for Windows Detected Potential Threats On Your Computer fake alert

Windows XP/Windows Vista/Windows 7

  1. Navigate to the Start menu.
  2. Access the Control Panel.
  3. Pick either Uninstall a program or Add or Remove Programs.
  4. Click the suspicious tool and select Uninstall.

Windows 8/Windows 10

  1. Tap Windows Key+R.
  2. Insert Control Panel and press OK.
  3. Choose Uninstall a program.
  4. Select the unwanted program and press Uninstall.

Reset affected browser

Internet Explorer

  1. Tap Alt+X.
  2. Navigate to Internet Options.
  3. Open the Advanced tab and press Reset.
  4. Click Delete personal settings, press Reset again, and click Close.

Mozilla Firefox

  1. Click the Help icon.
  2. Go to Troubleshooting information.
  3. Pick Refresh Firefox, press Refresh Firefox again, and tap Finish.

Google Chrome

  1. Press Alt+F.
  2. Select Settings and scroll below.
  3. Choose Advanced and slide down once more.
  4. Tap Reset and select the Reset button.

In non-techie terms:

Windows Detected Potential Threats On Your Computer fake alert does not come from your operating system as it is more likely the threat is being displayed by some unreliable application you recently downloaded. Consequently, we recommend not to trust the information available on the notification and most importantly ignore the bits of advice to call the provided telephone number because instead of contacting technical support you will probably end up talking with cybercriminals. Their goal could be to steal your sensitive data, convince you to give them access to the computer, install malware on the device, and so on. Clearly, there are no good outcomes, and we highly recommend not to take any chances. Instead, we would advise our readers to quickly close the fake alert and make sure it does not come back ever again. If you need any help with these tasks, you should check the removal guide available above or install a reputable antimalware tool and scan the computer.