How to avoid visiting pages like shieldproblocker.xyz

What kind of page is shieldproblocker[.]xyz?

Shieldproblocker[.]xyz is a deceptive website that uses a scare tactic to trick visitors into downloading an application. It displays a fake system notification claiming that a device has been compromised. Our team has discovered shieldproblocker[.]xyz while inspecting other sites that use rogue advertising networks.

More about shieldproblocker[.]xyz

Shieldproblocker[.]xyz displays a deceptive pop-up message (a fake system notification) claiming that an iPhone has been compromised and immediate action is required. The message in the background claims that a device may be infected with viruses. It also states that phone's memory is already having 17% of damage.

The page urges its visitor to click the "Protect" button to install a security application and use it to remove threats from the device. It states that not taking action will disclose accounts, photos, and payment data to third parties. At the time of the research, shieldproblocker[.]xyz redirected to a download page for an app called ShieldPro - Blocker.

Threat Summary:

Name	shieldproblocker.xyz scam website
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Mac malware, Mac virus
Fake Claim	iPhone has been compromised
Detection Names	alphaMountain.ai (Suspicious), Netcraft (Malicious), Full List (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address	104.21.7.33
Promoted Application	ShieldPro - Blocker
Symptoms	Your Mac becomes slower than normal, you see unwanted pop-up ads, you are redirected to dubious websites.
Distribution methods	Deceptive pop-up ads, free software installers (bundling), fake Flash Player installers, torrent file downloads.
Damage	Internet browser tracking (potential privacy issues), display of unwanted ads, redirects to dubious websites, loss of private information.
Malware Removal (Mac)	To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your Mac with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. ▼ Download Combo Cleaner for Mac To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. Limited seven days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

Similar scams in general

Websites like shieldproblocker[.]xyz cannot be trusted even when applications promoted by them are legitimate. Most of them show fake virus (or similar) notifications urging visitors to take immediate action (e.g., download some application to protect a device). Examples of similar scams are aytonus[.]com, sandgerl[.]com, and reminderapp[.]store.

How did I open a scam website?

Usually, pages like shieldproblocker[.]xyz are promoted using illegal movie streaming pages, torrent sites, and other pages that use rogue advertising networks and shady advertisements. Also, they are promoted using adware (or other questionable software), search engine poisoning techniques, shady browser notifications, etc. They rarely get visited on purpose.

How to avoid visiting scam websites?

Do not trust advertisements appearing on dubious pages, and avoid downloading apps from shady websites (or via P2P networks, third-party downloaders, etc.). Use official pages (or platforms) and direct links as sources for downloading apps. Do not allow shady websites to show notifications.

Check downloaders/installers for unwanted apps and deselect them before completing download/installation processes. If your computer is already infected, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate all threats.

Text in the fake system notification:

YOUR IPHONE HAS BEEN COMPROMISED
Immediate Action Is Required!
OK

Screenshot of the background page:

Text in this page:

Apple SecurityMonday
23 May 2022
Important notice. You may have viruses on your IOS 15.4.1!
Your phone's memory is already having 17% of damage. Prompt action is required, otherwise,
the device will become defective and all your data including accounts, photos, and payment data will be available to third parties.

Important: to protect yor device, click the button “Protect“ below, install Security App from the AppStore, open it and run cleaning procedure.
0 minutes and 00 seconds
Protect
Detected By Apple.

Screenshot of the promoted application:

To enable pop-up blocking, fraudulent website warnings, and remove web browsing data in mobile Apple devices, follow these steps:

First, go to "Settings", and then scroll down to find and tap "Safari".

Check if the "Block Pop-ups" and "Fraudulent Website Warning" toggles are enabled. If not, enable them immediately. Then, scroll down and tap "Advanced".

Tap "Website Data" and then "Remove All Website Data".

Instant automatic Mac malware removal: Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of Mac malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner for Mac By downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. Limited seven days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

Quick menu:

• What is shieldproblocker[.]xyz?
• STEP 1. Remove PUA related files and folders from OSX.
• STEP 2. Remove rogue extensions from Safari.
• STEP 3. Remove rogue add-ons from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove potentially unwanted plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox.

Video showing how to remove adware and browser hijackers from a Mac computer:

Potentially unwanted applications removal:

Remove potentially unwanted applications from your "Applications" folder:

Click the Finder icon. In the Finder window, select "Applications". In the applications folder, look for "MPlayerX","NicePlayer", or other suspicious applications and drag them to the Trash. After removing the potentially unwanted application(s) that cause online ads, scan your Mac for any remaining unwanted components.

Remove adware-related files and folders

Click the Finder icon, from the menu bar. Choose Go, and click Go to Folder...

Check for adware generated files in the /Library/LaunchAgents/ folder:

In the Go to Folder... bar, type: /Library/LaunchAgents/

In the "LaunchAgents" folder, look for any recently-added suspicious files and move them to the Trash. Examples of files generated by adware - "installmac.AppRemoval.plist", "myppes.download.plist", "mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist", "kuklorest.update.plist", etc. Adware commonly installs several files with the exact same string.

Check for adware generated files in the ~/Library/Application Support/ folder:

In the Go to Folder... bar, type: ~/Library/Application Support/

In the "Application Support" folder, look for any recently-added suspicious folders. For example, "MplayerX" or "NicePlayer", and move these folders to the Trash.

Check for adware generated files in the ~/Library/LaunchAgents/ folder:

In the Go to Folder... bar, type: ~/Library/LaunchAgents/

In the "LaunchAgents" folder, look for any recently-added suspicious files and move them to the Trash. Examples of files generated by adware - "installmac.AppRemoval.plist", "myppes.download.plist", "mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist", "kuklorest.update.plist", etc. Adware commonly installs several files with the exact same string.

Check for adware generated files in the /Library/LaunchDaemons/ folder:

In the "Go to Folder..." bar, type: /Library/LaunchDaemons/

In the "LaunchDaemons" folder, look for recently-added suspicious files. For example "com.aoudad.net-preferences.plist", "com.myppes.net-preferences.plist", "com.kuklorest.net-preferences.plist", "com.avickUpd.plist", etc., and move them to the Trash.

Scan your Mac with Combo Cleaner:

If you have followed all the steps correctly, your Mac should be clean of infections. To ensure your system is not infected, run a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus. Download it HERE. After downloading the file, double click combocleaner.dmg installer. In the opened window, drag and drop the Combo Cleaner icon on top of the Applications icon. Now open your launchpad and click on the Combo Cleaner icon. Wait until Combo Cleaner updates its virus definition database and click the "Start Combo Scan" button.

Combo Cleaner will scan your Mac for malware infections. If the antivirus scan displays "no threats found" - this means that you can continue with the removal guide; otherwise, it's recommended to remove any found infections before continuing.

After removing files and folders generated by the adware, continue to remove rogue extensions from your Internet browsers.

Remove malicious extensions from Internet browsers

Remove malicious Safari extensions:

Open the Safari browser, from the menu bar, select "Safari" and click "Preferences...".

In the preferences window, select "Extensions" and look for any recently-installed suspicious extensions. When located, click the "Uninstall" button next to it/them. Note that you can safely uninstall all extensions from your Safari browser - none are crucial for regular browser operation.

• If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Safari.

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 extensions, select these entries and click "Remove".

• If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Google Chrome.

Remove malicious extensions from Mozilla Firefox:

Click the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window) and select "Add-ons and themes". Click "Extensions", in the opened window locate all recently-installed suspicious extensions, click on the three dots and then click "Remove".

• If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Mozilla Firefox.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is a pop-up scam?

It is a fake virus message or other deceptive notification claiming that a visitor must perform a certain action immediately to avoid more damage.

What is the purpose of a pop-up scam?

Typically, scammers use pop-up scams to trick visitors into downloading various applications (or even malware) or providing sensitive information.

Why do I encounter fake pop-ups?

These fake pop-ups are displayed by untrustworthy websites. In most cases, such pages are promoted via other untrustworthy pages, deceptive advertisements, browser notifications, etc. It is uncommon for these pages to be visited intentionally.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from pop-up scams?

Combo Cleaner can scan visited pages and detect malicious ones. Including websites that display fake pop-up messages. This application warns users about untrustworthy pages and restricts access to them.

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