"Windows was blocked due to questionable activity" - How to remove

“Windows was blocked due to questionable activity” pop-ups are a phishing scam. These webpages ask for credentials and urge users to contact a “Technician Support Team” just like all the other tech support scams do.

The “Windows was blocked due to questionable activity” pop-ups show up as a fake Microsoft website. It uses the Windows and Edge logos and even has menus that can’t be interacted with. The page asks for the visitor’s username and password for “Authentication”. The dialog box that asks for your credentials is a fake Windows box that’s also part of the website.

Windows was blocked due to questionable activity
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This type of website is used by scammers for a few things:

• Convince the victim that they’re real Microsoft support and charge them money for “services”, like removing nonexistent viruses.
• Steal private data like passwords from the victim, use the credentials to hack their accounts and rob them.

Either way, the victim ends up losing money. Tech support and phishing scams are criminal, they can cause serious harm and should be taken seriously.

“Windows was blocked due to questionable activity” pop-up is a scam webpage:

Type of threat	Phishing (steals passwords) Tech support scam (charges money for fake support)
Signs that “Windows was blocked due to questionable activity” is fake	Is a website The URL does not belong to Microsoft Threatens to block Windows The website is not interactive
Sources of the pop-up	Malicious ads Adware viruses
How to stop “Windows was blocked..” pop-ups	Find and remove malware (SpyHunter) Install security updates Avoid dangerous websites that show malicious ads

Sources of the “Windows was blocked” pop-up

The “Windows was blocked due to questionable activity” pop-up is not a site that users look for and it’s not a legitimate website. “Windows was blocked” might be shown when an adware virus forces the browser to open malicious websites in new tabs. Dangerous ads on websites that allow them also do this- they constantly redirect visitors to malicious sites.

Adware viruses often come in freeware bundles – they’re installed together with some legitimate software you download. They might lurk in your computer unnoticed, or the adware might be hidden in a useful application that you use regularly.

The problem with adware infections is often poor security and outdated software. If you have up-to-date antivirus tools, operating system, browsers, and media players, they’re protected against a lot of malicious content and can recognize and block new threats. But if your software is out of date or your security program is not turned on, then adware, malware, and other dangers can infect your computer relatively easily.

If you have to deal with redirects and malicious ads often, for example, if you encounter “Windows was blocked”, “Your Flash Player might be out of date”, “Video Update Recommended”, and other such sites on a regular basis, you probably need to scan your computer with SpyHunter for another trusted antivirus tool to see if malware has infected it. Also, check what browser extensions you’ve installed and disable the ones that are suspicious.

Another explanation for frequent ads that lead to “Windows was blocked due to questionable activity” pop-ups and similar shady sites is that you constantly go to the kinds of websites that show these ads. You might see pop-ups in your browser thanks to notification spam and have to deal with tricky ads every step of the way on those websites. Some of those ads are even able to get past ad-blockers and many of them spread malware.

How to deal with “Windows was blocked” pop-ups

What you need to do about the “Windows was blocked due to questionable activity” pop-ups depends on how they started, what the cause is, and whether you followed through with them.

For example, if you gave the “Windows was blocked” scam site your real Windows credentials, you might want to change them before scammers decide to sell them or use them. And if the site lead you to contact some “Technician Support”, do not trust them. Uninstall whatever they had you install and do not reveal any information about yourself to those people. Often, a site like “Windows was blocked due to questionable activity” is only the first step to scammers getting direct control over the victim’s computer with the help of remote access software, putting the victim’s privacy, dignity, and even the security of their files in danger.

When you encounter a scam alert like “Windows was blocked due to questionable activity”, a fake login site asking for your credentials, and other malicious pages, the thing to do is to ignore them. If your screen was hijacked, remember the keyboard shortcut Alt+F4 (press those two buttons at the same time) and use it to close the browser tab. Another option is to open Task Manager with Ctrl+Shift+Esc and to end the browser process.

Normal virus alerts do not appear as webpages. Also, Windows does not ever threaten people to block their Windows due to questionable activity. Microsoft is aware of the scam problem and have issued their own advice. Be careful and suspicious online.

Automatic Malware removal tools

How to remove "Windows was blocked due to questionable activity" using Windows Control Panel

Many hijackers and adware like "Windows was blocked..." Alert 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 "Windows was blocked due to questionable activity" . You can click on "Name" or "Installed On" to reorder your programs and make "Windows was blocked..." Alert 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.