Recently, a number of Microsoft Windows users have been so upset to receive pop-ups claiming to be official helpdesk personnel requesting remote computer access through Fastsupport.com. This website is a valid technical support connection service that utilizes the GoToAssist cloud-based toolset.But recently, cyber criminals have taken advantage of Fastsupport.com to illegally gain remote access to a target computer.
Information technology helpdesk teams and customer support companies are legally known to utilize the remote access service to help and fix problems on their client’s computers. In recent times, online fraudsters have seen this opportunity to swindle money from victims by utilizing a series of browser redirects and misleading alerts.
Initially, attackers will use a malicious advertising campaign that redirects browsers to predefined websites that pose as valid MS Windows alerts. Most fake warnings appear on Microsoft Edge, but other browsers like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, and Microsoft Edge are also exposed to this attack. On the same page, it states that several viruses were found, and the most immediate solution for this is to login to Fastsupport.com and allow their personnel to remotely access the computer. Another way to carry out the attack is through toll-free numbers posted on the same misleading web page.
Once a remote connection is established via Fastsupport.com, attacker may unload several changes on the computer. The homepage of the browser will have Fastsupport.com as the default setting, which also serves as a reminder to the user that there is an ongoing technical issue. Immediately, bogus remote technicians advise users that it may take a while to get rid of identified threats and encourage them to stay connected for an hour or two. The scammers act as if it is difficult to resolve the issues so that they can demand higher fees from their victims. They are implementing a “no-pay, no fix” policy; therefore, users are required to pay first for this service.
As security experts always suggest, stay away from this kind of online scammer. Immediately cease the Fastsupport.com connection and run a thorough scan of the anti-virus and anti-malware tools to ensure that there are no threats on the computer.
Fastsupport.com Removal Procedure
Below is a systematic instruction that is very useful in getting rid of the potentially unwanted program (PUP) from compromised Windows computer. Aside from removing the malicious browser extension, this guide is also helpful in deleting browser hijacker and pop-ups.
In order to totally eliminate the threat, it is vital to follow the process in exact manner.
Step 1 : Delete Suspicious Browser Extension
Most adware and unwanted programs use an application called a "browser extension" to be able to take over the settings of internet applications. Therefore, we highly recommend checking and removing the extension that is closely related to Fastsupport.com. If it is not present, look for and delete any suspicious browser extension.
Remove Suspicious Extension from Google Chrome
1. Open your Google Chrome browser.
2. Type chrome://extensions/ in the address bar and press Enter on the keyboard.
3. Find suspicious or any relevant entry and remove it from the Google Chrome browser.
Uninstall the Unwanted Extension from Mozilla Firefox
1. Open the Mozilla Firefox browser.
2. Type about:addons in the address bar and press Enter on the keyboard.
3. Choose Extensions from the sidebar menu.
4. Look for an object that pertains to Fastsupport.com and remove it from the browser.
After deleting the malicious browser extension, it is expected that pop-ups and other troubles will be gone from the internet browser.
Remove Malicious Items from Microsoft Windows and Edge Browser
1. On your keyboard, press Windows Key + R and then, type the appwiz.cpl command.
2. The Program and Features window will open. Arrange the list in a chronological manner, with recently installed applications on top. To do this, click on the 'Installed On' column.
3. Select Unwanted Programs or a recently installed unwanted entry. Then, click on Uninstall to remove it from the Windows system.
If Fastsupport.com is still present on the browser and there are still pop-ups, another option is to remove the adware from the browser settings.
4. Open the Microsoft Edge program.
5. Input edge://extensions/ in the URL bar and press Enter on the keyboard.
6. Look for and Remove or Disable suspicious entries from the Installed Extensions area. Additionally, delete the same object from the Search Providers section by executing the Hijacker Removal Procedure for Edge.
7. Close the window and restart Microsoft Edge.
Step 2 : Scan the PC with Combo Cleaner for Windows
Combo Cleaner is a trusted PC security and optimization tool equipped with powerful virus and malware detection engine. This program can get rid of pop-up and redirect adware like Fastsupport.com through this procedure.
1. Download the application from the following page:
2. Save the file to your preferred location.
3. Double-click the downloaded file CCSetup.exe and install with the default settings.
4. At the end of the setup process, click Finish to run Combo Cleaner.
5. The tool will update the signature file, please wait for this process to complete.
6. To begin checking for threats like Fastsupport.com, click on the Start Scan button. Wait for this scan to finish.
7. At the end of the scan process, click on Remove all threats to delete Fastsupport.com pop-up and redirect including all malicious objects from the computer.
Free features of Combo Cleaner for Windows include Disk Cleaner, Big Files finder, Duplicate files finder, and Uninstaller. To use antivirus, privacy scanner, and to delete identified threats, users have to upgrade to a premium version.
Please continue with the succeeding removal procedures if your are comfortable to manually get rid of the threat and malicious items linked with it.
Step 3 : Scan and Delete Adware with AdwCleaner
In addition to the procedure, we suggest scanning the computer with AdwCleaner tool. Possibly, there are some traces of Fastsupport.com on the browser that was not deleted during the preceding steps. This tool will scan the computer and check for presence of malicious applications as well as invalid browser entries that produces hijacking, redirects, and pop-ups.
1. Follow the link below to download the tool called AdwCleaner.
2. When the download has completed, please close all running programs on the computer especially browsers affected by Fastsupport.com pop-up.
3. Browse the location of the downloaded file and double-click on adwcleaner_Ver.exe to start running the tool. Then, click on Scan button.
4. AdwCleaner searches the computer for malicious programs, extensions, plug-ins, adware, and any items that may be associated to Fastsupport.com. It will also check for suspicious entries on browser settings that is associated with the hijacker.
5. Clean or Remove all suspicious and harmful items identified after the thorough scan.
6. After the cleanup procedure, rebooting the computer is required to finalize the removal of detected threats.
Check if your internet browser application is no longer being bothered by Fastsupport.com pop-up. If the browser hijacker still persists, please continue with the steps below to reset internet programs to default settings.
Optional : Reset Internet Browser Program
Cleaning your internet browser from clutter and unwanted add-on/extension is a must when dealing with Fastsupport.com. The procedure below discusses on resetting various browsers to their default state.
Restore Google Chrome to Default Settings
Resetting Google Chrome to its default settings is helpful in deleting hard-to-remove extensions. This method is highly advisable to perform if you have difficulty removing unwanted extensions.
1. Open the Google Chrome internet browser.
2. On the address bar, type chrome://settings/reset and press the Enter key.
3. Click on Reset Settings on the sidebar and choose Restore settings to their original defaults.
4. On the confirmation window, click the Reset settings button to clear all malicious entries.
5. Close the existing tab and restart Google Chrome. That should have removed the malicious extension and associated objects.
Reset Mozilla Firefox to Default
This section describes how to remove unwanted extensions from Firefox that may be related to Fastsupport.com. This process can fix many browser issues by restoring Firefox to factory settings without affecting your essential information (bookmarks, browsing history, passwords, and Internet cookies) on the browser. If you desire to remove only a specific extension, please see the manual removal of add-ons from Firefox.
1. Input the string about:support on the Firefox web address and press Enter on the keyboard.
2. You will now see the Troubleshooting Information page of Mozilla Firefox.
3. You will notice a section in the upper-right corner of the screen stating, Give Firefox a tune-up. Click the Refresh Firefox button.
4. If a confirmation window appears, click Refresh Firefox to continue.
5. Firefox browser will close and start the resetting process. When done, it will display a list of restored data. Fastsupport.com should be gone by now. Click Finish to open a fresh version of Firefox.
Restore Microsoft Edge to Default Settings
1. Open the Microsoft Edge browser.
2. On the address bar, please input edge://settings/reset and press Enter on the keyboard.
3. Once you are on the Reset Settings page, click on Restore settings to their default values.
4. A confirmation window will appear; click on the Reset button to continue.
Your data, like favorites, bookmarks, and history, will remain in the browser. However, this process will delete add-ons by Fastsupport.com and other unknown objects.
To Fastsupport,
Hello, I don’t know how you guys got my banking info but I don’t know you nor would I join a Support Group. So either you take me off the group or I’ll call my bank and tell them to stop payments. Thank you