Update Required! Scam - How to remove

“Attention! Update Required!” is a phrase used by a fake warning pop-up. This deceptive ad is used to trick people into downloading and installing random browser add-ons. It’s not always very dangerous, but it’s certainly malicious.

At worst, the Update Required! scam could result in spyware or adware being installed on your device, causing excessive ads and exposing your data to malicious actors. If you see this ad, close its browser tab without interacting with the page.

About the Update Required! scam:

Classification	Scam.
What causes the Update Required! ads	Websites that allow malicious ads, adware viruses and malicious extensions.
Dangers posed by the scam	It promotes potentially unwanted apps and browser extensions.
How to remove Update Required! malware	Use antivirus programs, such as Combo Cleaner for Mac, Spyhunter for PC, and others, to find and remove malware, block malicious ads and sites.

The Update Required! fake ads

The Update Required! ad is a webpage. It might show up on a site like Vgb6t54g.icu or another. It looks a bit like a warning window. It has a window title, an error icon, and a single button called “Update”. It’s supposed to be an update for your browser, as you can see from the user agent string (Webaim.org). The “Update” button downloads a file or leads to a website where you can install a browser add-on.

If you thought that Update Required! was a real window being shown by your computer, then you would be forced to click the Update button – there’s no other choice. Even if you suspect that something is wrong, the Update Required! ad messes with the appearance of your mouse cursor. It looks like you’re pointing at one spot, but the cursor is actually elsewhere. This makes it difficult to close the pop-up, even if you know that it’s dangerous.

The Update Required! scam advertisement is very similar to Chrome Update Center, Edge Update, and other deceptive ads. They all try to look like they’re coming from your computer or your browser – but really, they’re advertisements made by a few scammers, used to promote random apps and browser extensions.

Unwanted programs

When I encountered the Update Required! ad, it lead to a browser extension called “Free Games”. This add-on would be able to show notifications and read your data on all the sites that you visit. It doesn’t seem very malicious, but such browser extensions are able to do a lot of harm:

• They can read your data that is usually encrypted, such as your search queries and what webpages you visit. A lot of private information could be leaked this way.
• They can force your browser to open webpages without your permission. This can be used to show you ads and control what sites you visit.

At worst, malicious browser extensions can be like Adrozek malware, which cannot even be removed normally and requires infected browsers to be reinstalled.

It’s not just browser extensions that the Update Required! scam can be used to promote. It could be PC optimization programs, spyware, adware, and other potentially unwanted programs.

How to remove Update Required! malware

Stop malicious ads

The Update Required! scam is spread by websites that tend to show malicious and obnoxious ads. So, pirating websites, free movie sites, file hosting sites, and similar websites. You can use anti-malware programs and ad blockers to block malicious sites, but they’re not perfect. Visiting websites that show dangerous ads is always risky.

If you encounter a site like the Update Required! scam, it is best to ignore the site and not interact with it. Just close the page.

Though, the Update Required! ad might hijack your whole browser, making you unable to leave the site. You can still solve this – close the browser tab or close the whole browser to get away from this malicious website.

Remove malware

Being forced to visit the Update Required! ad is not dangerous in itself. But installing the app or extension that it promotes is. Since the Update Required! pop-up is crafted to trick people by looking like a real Windows alert, it scares them into installing potentially dangerous software.

To remove malware, you can look at your most recently installed programs and browser extensions and remove those that are suspicious. Not all malicious apps are obvious, though, so it’s good to also scan your device with an anti-malware program, such as Combo Cleaner for macOS, Spyhunter for Windows, and others. If any suspicious items are found, remove them.

If needed – if any spyware apps were found – reset your passwords and make sure to use 2FA (Pcmag.com).

Automatic Malware removal tools

How to remove Update Required using Windows Control Panel

Many hijackers and adware like Update Required! Scam install some of their components as regular Windows programs as well as additional software. This part of malware can be uninstalled from the Control Panel. To access it, do the following.

• Start→Control Panel (older Windows) or press Windows Key→Search and enter Control Panel and then press Enter (Windows 8, Windows 10).
• Choose Uninstall Program (if you don't see it, click in the upper right next to "View by" and select Category).
• Go through the list of programs and select entries related to Update Required . You can click on "Name" or "Installed On" to reorder your programs and make Update Required! Scam easier to find.
• Click the Uninstall button. If you're asked if you really want to remove the program, click Yes.
• In many cases anti-malware programs are better at detecting related parasites, thus I recommend installing Spyhunter to identify other programs that might be a part of this infection.

How to remove Update Required from macOS

Delete Update Required! Scam from your applications.

1. Open Finder.
2. In the menu bar, click Go.
3. Select Applications from the dropdown.
4. Find the Update Required app.
5. Select it and right-click it (or hold the Ctrl and click the left mouse button).
6. In the dropdown, click Move to Bin/Trash. You might be asked to provide your login password.

TopRemove malicious extensions from Internet Explorer

• Press on the Gear icon→Manage Add-ons.
  
• Go through Toolbars and extensions. Remove everything related to Update Required! Scam and items you do not know that are made not by Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, Oracle or Adobe.
  
• Close the Options.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings

If you are still experiencing any issues related to Update Required, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Press on the Gear icon->Internet Options.
  
• Choose the Advanced tab and click on the Reset button.
  
• Select a “Delete personal settings” checkbox and click on the Reset button.
  
• Click on the Close button on the confirmation box, then close your browser.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.

TopRemoving Update Required! Scam from Chrome

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Google Chrome window. Select “Settings”.
  
• Click “Extensions” on the left menu bar.
• Go through the extensions list and remove programs you do not need, especially similar to Update Required. Click on the trash bin icon next to Update Required! Scam or other add-ons you want to remove.
  
• Press on the “Remove” button on the Confirmation window.
  
• If unsure, you can disable them temporarily.
  
• Restart Chrome.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings

If you are still experiencing any issues related to Update Required, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on Chrome’s menu button (three horizontal lines) and select Settings.
  
• Scroll to the end of the page and click on the Reset settings button.
  
• Click on the Reset button on the confirmation box.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.

TopRemoving Update Required! Scam from Firefox

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Mozilla window and select the “Add-ons” icon (or press Ctrl+Shift+A on your keyboard).
  
• Go through Extensions and Addons list, remove everything Update Required related and items you do not recognise. If you do not know the extension and it is not made by Mozilla, Google, Microsoft, Oracle or Adobe then you probably do not need it.
  

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings If you are still experiencing any issues related to Update Required! Scam, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Mozilla Firefox window. Click on the Help button.
  
• Choose Troubleshooting Information on the Help menu.
  
• Click on the Reset Firefox button.
  
• Click on the Reset Firefox button on the confirmation box. Mozilla Firefox will close and change the settings to default.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.

How to remove Update Required! Scam from Microsoft Edge:Top

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Microsoft Edge window. Select “Extensions”.

• Go through the extensions list and remove programs you do not need, especially similar to Update Required. Click on the "Remove" icon next to Update Required! Scam or other add-ons you want to remove.

• Press on the “Remove” button on the Confirmation window.

• If unsure, you can disable them temporarily.

• Restart Microsoft Edge.

TopRemoving Update Required from Safari (Mac OS X)

• Click on the Safari menu.
• Choose Preferences.
  
• Click on the Extensions Tab.
• Click on the Uninstall button near the Update Required! Scam. Remove all other unknown or suspicious entries too. If you are not sure whether you need the extension or not, you can simply uncheck the Enable check-box to disable the extension temporarily.
  
• Restart Safari.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings

If you are still experiencing any issues related to Update Required, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on the Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Reset Safari.
  
• Select which options you want to reset (usually all of them come preselected) and click on the Reset button.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.