Stop “McAfee: Virus found (3)” Fake Alert Pop-up

“McAfee: Virus found (3)” is an online scam. It presents an alarming and fake alert in order to mislead unsuspecting computer users. Cyber scammers try to make them believe that their system is truly infected with computer viruses. To prevent further damage and to remove the identified threats, it advises to call designated customer service or download recommended tool.

We have to warn you that calling to their support hotline is a bad idea. The scammer will just confirm to you that your computer is indeed in trouble that is why “McAfee: Virus found (3)” alert appear. To resolve the said issue, the actors behind this scam will insist you to subscribe to a service or purchase a program that you don’t really need.

As soon as you encountered “McAfee: Virus found (3)” warning on your computer, all you have to do is to remove the root infection. At this point, you have to eliminate the adware program which causing this fake alert to appear. Keep in mind that “McAfee: Virus found (3)” was purely created by people with malicious intention, specifically to collect money from unsuspecting computer users. One of the fake pop-up alert is known to be displaying this message:

McAfee
Viruses found (5)
Your computer is damaged by suspicious programs! To remove viruses, click here.

Screenshot of McAfee: Virus found

To avoid this kind of potential threat, you have to be more vigilant when adding plug-ins, extensions, or add-on to your browser. Take note that “McAfee: Virus found (3)” is often spread out through third-party application. Hence, when downloading and installing free programs, see to it that you keep your eyes keen along with the entire setup process. This is to ensure that there is no extra item installed aside from your chosen software.

"McAfee: Virus found (3)" 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 "McAfee: Virus found (3)". 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.

Chrome URL

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.

Firefox URL

3. Choose Extensions from the sidebar menu.

4. Look for an object that pertains to "McAfee: Virus found (3)" 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.

Add-Remove Malware

3. Select Unwanted Programs or a recently installed unwanted entry. Then, click on Uninstall to remove it from the Windows system.

If "McAfee: Virus found (3)" 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 "McAfee: Virus found (3)" 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.

CC for Windows Installation

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 "McAfee: Virus found (3)", click on the Start Scan button. Wait for this scan to finish.

CC for Windows Start Scan

7. At the end of the scan process, click on Remove all threats to delete "McAfee: Virus found (3)" 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 "McAfee: Virus found (3)" 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 "McAfee: Virus found (3)" 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.

AdwCleaner

4. AdwCleaner searches the computer for malicious programs, extensions, plug-ins, adware, and any items that may be associated to "McAfee: Virus found (3)". 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 "McAfee: Virus found (3)" 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 "McAfee: Virus found (3)". 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 "McAfee: Virus found (3)". 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. "McAfee: Virus found (3)" 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 "McAfee: Virus found (3)" and other unknown objects.

Get rid of Malware URL Pop-ups (Notification)

Most of the time, browser hijackers are combined with intrusive pop-up ads originating from the source website, Malware URL. It is taking advantage of the push notification feature of popular internet programs like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, or Edge. These pop-up ads from Malware URL are extra ordinary as they exceed the normal display volume, and are certainly annoying.

Normally, Malware URL pop-ups will start to bombard the internet browser screen with pop-ups if a web user is deceived to click the “Allow” button, which triggers the said website to send a push notification. To stop Malware URL from showing the pop-ups, please execute the procedures below. Remember, these steps may only be successful after the removal of the main component or dubious browser extension.

Google Chrome

1. On the Google Chrome browser, input the following in the address bar and press Enter:

chrome://settings/content/notifications

2. Navigate to the list under the "Sites that sent a lot of notifications" or "Allowed to send notifications" section and look for Malware URL.

3. Click Don't Allow beside Malware URL. You may also click on the ellipses to reveal the options.

Push Notification Google Chrome

4. Please restart the Google Chrome browser.

Mozilla Firefox

1. On the Mozilla Firefox browser, type the following in the address bar and press the Enter key:

about:preferences#privacy

2. Navigate below to the Permissions area and look for Notifications.

Notification Settings Mozilla Firefox

3. Click the Settings button aligned with the Notifications.

4. Look for Malware URL entry and change the Status to Block.

Block Notification Mozilla Firefox

5. Click on Save Changes, and restart Mozilla Firefox. Check if Malware URL pop-up is gone.

Safari (Mac)

1. On the top menu, click on Safari, and then select Preferences from the drop-down list.

2. Click on the Websites tab to open its settings.

3. Select Notifications from the left sidebar.

Block Notification on Safari

4. On the right panel, it will display a list of websites with the "Allow" attribute.

5. Find and click on Malware URL.

6. You may choose to Deny or Remove it from the notification list.

7. You may now restart the Safari browser and see if the Malware URL pop-up is gone.

Microsoft Edge

1. Assuming that the Edge browser is open, type the following in the address bar and hit Enter on your keyboard.

edge:settings/content/all

2. In the Settings, Site Permissions area, select Malware URL from the list.

3. Click on the Options icon. See the image below.

Push Notification on MS Edge

4. Under the All Sites section, look for Notifications and select Block to stop it from showing pop-up ads or notifications.

Block Notificaion on MS Edge

5. You may now restart Edge browser.

About the author

1 thought on “Stop “McAfee: Virus found (3)” Fake Alert Pop-up”

  1. Thank you. It’s 2:16 am in Hohenwald, TN. I’ve been trying to fix this problem for 4 hours. I installed various antivirus and malware software to no avail. It’s hard sometimes to find the right search words. But about a half hour ago I stumbled across your instructions. So far, so good. God bless you. I’m 67 years old and on a fixed income. Thank you so much! If there’s anything I can do for you, just ask. I’m retired after 35 years as a graphic artist. I still do artwork in Corel Draw, Illustrater, Gimp, Inkscape and other programs. Anything I can do for you I’d be delighted to do it at no charge. Thank you again.

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