Fake Ads - Adblock Update Required - How to remove

“Adblock update required” and “Access to Safari is blocked” are phrases used by scammers to push unwanted apps.

If you see a notification on your screen that says “Adblock update required” and tells you to install an app, don’t listen to it. This is just a deceptive ad disguised as a legitimate notification.

About the “Adblock update required” scam:

Threat type	Trojan, scam.
How the scam works	Ads made to look like OS warnings encourage people to install an app, the app is paid or it shows ads.
What causes the “Adblock update required” pop-ups	Ads on unsafe and infected websites, adware infections.
How to avoid scams like “Adblock update required”	Avoid websites that show dangerous ads, block malicious ads and websites, protect your devices from malware (Combo Cleaner, Malwarebytes, others).

How the “Adblock update required” pop-ups work

Ads made to look like system warnings

The “Adblock update required” ads look a lot like ios system alerts. They warn you that you must install an app to access some online content.

Adblock update required

Access to Safari is blocked

Please download the recommended free Adblock App to access the content, protect and speed up your connection.

Installation will take about 20 seconds.

Install Now

But they’re actually advertisements. They’re just ads displayed by webpages. The look of the “Adblock update required” alerts is crafted in order to trick people who see them into thinking that the warnings are trustworthy. That the “Adblock update required” warning is being displayed by their iOS. And that whatever app is being advertised by the alert is trusted and recommended by Apple.

This is false and honestly dangerous. Ads that impersonate OS warnings can make people feel like they have to install apps that they don’t want. Even worse, they can push people to pay for those apps.

This is the same principle that tech support scams work on, such as Critical Threat (27 viruses), Apple Security Alert, Apple Security Breach, etc. Scammers impersonate Apple to gain people’s trust.

Untrustworthy apps

If you click the “Install Now” button that the “Adblock update required” shows, you’re taken to an App Store page for the advertised app. This could be an ad blocker, a VPN tool, or something else. From my experience, the apps promoted by this and similar ads have a few common features:

• monetized by subscription, usually a few dollars per week
• the reviews are very positive and numerous
• the app’s developer is an unknown company
• there’s no information about the app on other websites.

The one star reviews of these apps can be revealing. Their writers are often people who believed the alerts – fake ads – and installed the app because they felt like they needed to. But then they found that the alerts kept showing up, as if the app was not doing anything.

That’s probably because they’re not. Some apps literally do nothing while they collect subscription payments (Don’t let fleeceware sneak into your iPhone). They’re basically scams.

How to avoid the “Adblock update required” alert and other scam ads

Fake, malicious ads are usually displayed by websites that don’t mind advertising controversial and potentially unsafe content:

• pirating sites
• other file hosting sites
• sites that host controversial content (adult video sites, etc.)
• some clickbait sites (sites that are designed to display as many ads as possible)
• websites infected with malicious redirects.

If you see the “Adblock update required” ad only when visiting a certain website, it must be that website showing the ad. You can stop visiting the website or you can block ads on that site. Good ad blockers allow you to choose what ads to block and on which websites.

It’s also possible that an adware infection (a bad browser extension or application) is causing the “Adblock update required” ads to appear.

Anti-malware apps, such as Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes can help you protect your device by blocking malicious apps and websites. And remember to follow Apple’s advice on how to deal with pop-ups in Safari (About pop-up ads and windows in Safari).

Finally, if you’re unsure, ask for help online on the Apple community forums and other forums. Other users will help you identify if an alert is real or, in the case of the “Adblock update required” ad, completely fake.

Automatic Malware removal tools

Remove malicious apps

How to remove Fake Ads - Adblock Update Required from macOS

Delete Fake Ads - Adblock Update Required from your applications.

1. Open Finder.
2. In the menu bar, click Go.
3. Select Applications from the dropdown.
4. Find the Fake Ads - Adblock 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.

TopRemoving Fake Ads - Adblock 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 Fake Ads - Adblock Update Required. 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 Fake Ads - Adblock 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.

TopRemoving Fake Ads - Adblock Update Required 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 Fake Ads - Adblock Update Required. Click on the trash bin icon next to Fake Ads - Adblock Update Required 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 Fake Ads - Adblock 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.