System Firewall Has Blocked Some Features POP-UP Scam

System Firewall Has Blocked Some Features removal instructions

What is System Firewall Has Blocked Some Features?

"System Firewall Has Blocked Some Features" is a fake security alert message similar to many other fake messages such as The System Is Badly Damaged, Install Java To Continue, Microsoft Support, etc. Generally, these are delivered by untrustworthy and deceptive websites that users visit inadvertently. Most users arrive at them via potentially unwanted applications (PUAs) or intrusive ads. PUAs are often installed unintentionally in the first place, and cause unwanted redirects, deliver ads, and record browsing-related data.

According to the "System Firewall Has Blocked Some Features" fake security alert message, your system has detected suspicious activity. It claims that a firewall has blocked some/all features of an executable application called "Csrss". This fake message advises you to prevent this application from accessing files or settings, however, it points out that there are problems with the 'security on your system' and urges you to contact Microsoft technicians via the telephone number: +1 (855) 966 0966. It also states that you should not open other browsers or browser windows if you want to avoid data or registry corruption. They advise users to take no action other than to call the "certified technicians" immediately. Most scammers (developers of these fake messages) claim to be helpful and attempt to trick people into contacting them. Their only purpose is to trick people into paying for services or products that will supposedly solve problems (in this case, the security problem). Microsoft employees (technicians) have nothing to do with this scam. Ignore all requests to contact anyone by the telephone number. Simply close the window/website. If the website prevents you from closing it, terminate the entire browser process using Task Manager or restart your computer. Do not restore the previous browsing session the next time you open your browser - this will lead you to an identical fake security alert scam.

As well as redirects to these websites, potentially unwanted applications deliver intrusive advertisements. These are displayed through tools that enable placement of third party graphical content on any site. They often conceal underlying content of any visited website, thereby diminishing the browsing experience. Once clicked, they redirect people to potentially malicious websites or execute scripts designed to download and install other PUAs or even malware. Another downside of such applications is information tracking. they collect browsing-related data, such as IP addresses, keystrokes, URLs of visited websites, search queries, etc. Some of the data will contain sensitive (personal) information that PUA developers later share with third parties (who misuse private data to generate revenue). These actions put users at risk of various security/privacy issues, or even identity theft. You are advised to eliminate all installed PUAs immediately.

Threat Summary:

Name	"System Firewall Has Blocked Some Features" virus
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Symptoms	Unauthorized online purchases, changed online account passwords, identity theft, illegal access of one's computer.
Distribution methods	Deceptive emails, rogue online pop-up ads, search engine poisoning techniques, misspelled domains.
Damage	Loss of sensitive private information, monetary loss, identity theft.
Malware Removal (Windows)	To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Malwarebytes. ▼ Download Malwarebytes To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Malwarebytes. 14 days free trial available.

All fake messages (alerts, errors, etc.) are very similar. Typically, they inform users of 'serious problems' and attempt to trick them into paying for solutions to fix nonexistent problems. Most PUAs are also very similar - their developers promote them as useful and capable of providing various features, however, these are only attempts to trick users into downloading and installing them. Few PUAs are legitimate or provide the features promised. They are designed only to generate revenue for their developers, and provide no real value for regular users.

How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?

Most potentially unwanted applications have official websites from which they can be downloaded free of charge, however, users often install them by clicking intrusive ads or when software developers use the so-called "bundling" method. Bundling is a deceptive marketing method used by software developers to install potentially unwanted applications with other regular software. Developers usually do not disclose information about bundled apps properly and hide them in "Custom"/"Advanced" options or other settings of the installation processes. Many users skip installation steps without paying attention to the details, thus allowing inadvertent installation of PUAs. This careless behaviour often leads to even more serious problems such as computer infections and privacy issues.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

Do not download software from untrustworthy websites, using third party software downloaders, or torrents. Use only official, trustworthy websites, and direct links. Pay close attention to the installation details. Do not skip installation steps without checking all available "Custom", "Advanced" and other similar options. Decline offers to install various PUAs and only then finish the installation process. Avoid clicking suspicious (intrusive) ads - they may seem legitimate (cyber criminals invest time and money into rogue advertisement design), however, once clicked, they usually redirect to untrustworthy websites (adult dating, pornography, gambling, etc.). If you encounter these redirects, check all extensions, add-ons, and plug-ins installed on your browser (or programs on your computer) and uninstall any dubious and unwanted entries immediately. If your computer is already infected with PUAs, we recommend running a scan with Malwarebytes for Windows to automatically eliminate them.

The appearance of the first "System Firewall Has Blocked Some Features" pop-up:

Text presented in the first "System Firewall Has Blocked Some Features" pop-up:

System Security Alert

 

System Firewall has blocked some or all features of this program

 

System Firewall has blocked some features of the following application from execution on this computer.
Name: Csrss.exe
Publisher: Unknown
Path: %Systemroot%\windows\system32\csrss.exe

 

Allow this application to access :
Operating System Security Settings
File System (Documents, Pictures etc.)
Network Settings
Remote Protocol
Saved Passwords
Secure Date (Banking or Credit Card Details)

 

What are the risks of allowing a program through a firewall?

Text presented in the second "System Firewall Has Blocked Some Features" pop-up:

Customer, your system has detected possible Suspicious Activity.

Please call the toll-free number below for a Microsoft-Certified technician to help you resolve the issue:
+1 (855) 966 0966

For your safety, please do not open Internet browser to avoid data corruption to the registry of your operating system.

Please contact support at the toll-free Helpline +1 (855) 966 0966

PLEASE DO NOT SHUT DOWN OR RESTART THE COMPUTER, DOING THAT MAY LEAD TO DATA LOSS AND POSSIBLE FAILIURE OF THE OPERATING SYSTEM, AND POTENTIAL NON BOOTABLE SITUATION RESULTING IN COMPLETE DATA LOSS. CONTACT MICROSOFT CERTIFIED TECHNICIANS TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE CALLING TOLL FREE - +1 (855) 966 0966

Tollfree Helpline: +1 (855) 966 0966
Customer, your system has detected possible Suspicious Activity.
Please call the toll-free number below for a Microsoft-Certified technician to help you resolve the issue:
+1 (855) 966 0966
For your safety, please do not open internet browser to avoid data corruption ...

The appearance of "System Firewall Has Blocked Some Features" pop-up scam (GIF):

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Quick menu:

• What is System Firewall Has Blocked Some Features?
• STEP 1. Uninstall deceptive applications using Control Panel.
• STEP 2. Remove adware from Internet Explorer.
• STEP 3. Remove rogue extensions from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove potentially unwanted plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox.
• STEP 5. Remove rogue extensions from Safari.
• STEP 6. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.

Removal of potentially unwanted applications:

Windows 7 users:

Click Start (Windows Logo at the bottom left corner of your desktop), choose Control Panel. Locate Programs and click Uninstall a program.

Windows XP users:

Click Start, choose Settings and click Control Panel. Locate and click Add or Remove Programs.

Windows 10 and Windows 8 users:

Right-click in the lower left corner of the screen, in the Quick Access Menu select Control Panel. In the opened window choose Programs and Features.

Mac OSX users:

Click Finder, in the opened screen select Applications. Drag the app from the Applications folder to the Trash (located in your Dock), then right click the Trash icon and select Empty Trash.

In the uninstall programs window, look for any suspicious/recently-installed applications, select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".

After uninstalling the potentially unwanted application, scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components or possible malware infections. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.

Remove rogue extensions from Internet browsers:

Video showing how to remove potentially unwanted browser add-ons:

Remove malicious add-ons from Internet Explorer:

Click the "gear" icon (at the top right corner of Internet Explorer), select "Manage Add-ons". Look for any recently-installed suspicious browser extensions, select these entries and click "Remove".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the "system firewall has blocked some features" virus, reset your Internet Explorer settings to default.

Windows XP users: Click Start, click Run, in the opened window type inetcpl.cpl In the opened window click the Advanced tab, then click Reset.

Windows Vista and Windows 7 users: Click the Windows logo, in the start search box type inetcpl.cpl and click enter. In the opened window click the Advanced tab, then click Reset.

Windows 8 users: Open Internet Explorer and click the gear icon. Select Internet Options.

In the opened window, select the Advanced tab.

Click the Reset button.

Confirm that you wish to reset Internet Explorer settings to default by clicking the Reset button.

Remove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

Click the Chrome menu icon  (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "More tools" and click "Extensions". Locate all recently-installed suspicious browser add-ons and remove them.

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the "system firewall has blocked some features" virus, reset your Google Chrome browser settings. Click the Chrome menu icon  (at the top right corner of Google Chrome) and select Settings. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen. Click the Advanced… link.

After scrolling to the bottom of the screen, click the Reset (Restore settings to their original defaults) button.

In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Google Chrome settings to default by clicking the Reset button.

Remove malicious plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox:

Click the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window), select "Add-ons". Click on "Extensions", in the opened window, remove all recently-installed suspicious browser plug-ins.

Optional method:

Computer users who have problems with "system firewall has blocked some features" virus removal can reset their Mozilla Firefox settings.

Open Mozilla Firefox, at the top right corner of the main window, click the Firefox menu, in the opened menu, click Help.

Select Troubleshooting Information.

In the opened window, click the Refresh Firefox button.

In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Mozilla Firefox settings to default by clicking the Refresh Firefox button.

Remove malicious extensions from Safari:

Make sure your Safari browser is active, click Safari menu, and select Preferences....

In the opened window click Extensions, locate any recently installed suspicious extension, select it and click Uninstall.

Optional method:

Make sure your Safari browser is active and click on Safari menu. From the drop down menu select Clear History and Website Data...

In the opened window select all history and click the Clear History button.

Remove malicious extensions from Microsoft Edge:

Click the Edge menu icon  (at the upper-right corner of Microsoft Edge), select "Extensions". Locate all recently-installed suspicious browser add-ons and click "Remove" below their names.

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the "system firewall has blocked some features" virus, reset your Microsoft Edge browser settings. Click the Edge menu icon  (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge) and select Settings.

In the opened settings menu select Reset settings.

Select Restore settings to their default values. In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Microsoft Edge settings to default by clicking the Reset button.

• If this did not help, follow these alternative instructions explaining how to reset the Microsoft Edge browser.

Summary:

Commonly, adware or potentially unwanted applications infiltrate Internet browsers through free software downloads. Note that the safest source for downloading free software is via developers' websites only. To avoid installation of adware, be very attentive when downloading and installing free software. When installing previously-downloaded free programs, choose the custom or advanced installation options – this step will reveal any potentially unwanted applications listed for installation together with your chosen free program.

Removal assistance:
If you are experiencing problems while trying to remove "system firewall has blocked some features" virus from your computer, please ask for assistance in our malware support forum.

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