‘Browser Change Detected’ Pop-Up

Pop-ups are often new browser windows with the purpose of online advertising and the intent to hoist Web traffic or capture email addresses. The ‘Browser Change Detected’ pop-up is a serious threat, but you have to know that any suspicious program that tries to impersonate another legitimate one, may very well be hiding something or trying to deceive you into doing something unwelcome. Malware analysts categorize it as a browser hijacker.

The most frequently affected browser that is affected by this pop-up is Mozilla Firefox, but other popular browsers are also feasible candidates. If you find yourself dealing with the ‘Browser Change Detected’ pop-up, do not panic, because having your computer infected is not the only way to receive the pop-up. In fact, if you are visiting an untrusted website then you may also have an encounter with the ‘Browser Change Detected’ pop-up. Those suspicious websites usually run scripts that open new windows that may try to redirect you to other threatening web pages or make you download dubious programs or updates that may lead to the installation of adware malware.

The Adverse Effects of the ‘Browser Change Detected’ Pop-Up

Clicking on the ‘Browser Change Detected’ pop-up may lead to the download and installation of browser add-ons and extensions that result in the display of advertisement pop-ups, browser hijacking and other actions associated with common adware. In addition to that, the techniques exhibited by the ‘Browser Change Detected’ pop-up are similar to ones used to wheel in Trojans and other more severe threats than the pop-up in question. With this in mind, you should be extra vigilant when visiting an unknown website or clicking on questionable links. If your computer has indeed been infected, then the cause may have been also through attachments in spam emails and the likes. A general rule of thumb – you should also be always careful when installing freeware or shareware products, as that is most often the source of other Potentially Unwanted Programs or adware.

What is even more annoying, the ‘Browser Change Detected’ pop-up will open up even if you are not using a Web browser at the moment, and if you close it up it will soon just pop back right up, so your only option is just to brush it away on one side of the screen where it won't be as obtrusive. That is why even if you reinstall or reset your browser settings, the problem with the pop-up may persist. A more impactful detriment would be that you may experience slower computer performance, as the ‘Browser Change Detected’ pop-up is a resource hog. A sound advice would be to stop the process through Task Manager, for example, as pop-ups like these usually involve scripts that are used to mask the interface of the close button and turn it into a hyperlink.

The ‘Browser Change Detected’ Pop-Up is Just One of Several

The strategy employed by the ‘Browser Change Detected’ pop-up is also very similar to that of another pop-up – ‘Outdated Browser Detected’. The de-signs and objectives of the two pop-ups are very alike, if not identical, and they both act as a reroute to other PUPs. A third pop-up, similar to ‘Browser Change Detected’, has been reported by some users on the Internet. Its text states, ‘Browser settings change detected’ along with ‘A potentially malicious change to your browser settings has been detected and blocked’ underneath it. Malware researchers have stated that the ‘Browser settings change detected’ pop-up is not displayed by a Web page and have identified the source to be the ‘Search Core Systems’ toolbar.

It is recommended that you scan your PC with an anti-malware software of your choice in order to completely remove the "Browser Change Detected" pop-up from your system. Using anti-malware tools will also help you remove other threats that you may have invited into your system while dealing with this pop-up.

Let's quickly summarize the most important things you should know when dealing with the ‘Browser Change Detected’ pop-up:

• The pop-up may not necessarily be interwoven with your browser, so it will continue to operate even when the browser is closed.
• It can be displayed by untrusted Web pages that you visit.
• It may become the cause of other infections, through its hijacking capabilities.