How To Fix A Hijacked Browser in Windows 10

It's happened to us a couple of times already.  A user is browsing the web and then a message comes up saying something like "This site says.... Call technical support immediately at 1-800-XXX-XXX" and you are prevented from closing that tab or going to any other tab. Here's an example:

If you shut down the browser and reopen it it will come up with the same message. How any company could make a browser that could be overtaken like that is amazing to me.

If your browser's been hijacked, DO NOT click any of the buttons in the message. If they are unscrupulous enough to take over your browser like that they are likely to do something worse if you click on their pop-up.

The first thing you should do is launch your Task Manager by pressing the CTRL - ALT - DELETE keys all at the same time. Click on Task Manager and you should see:

On the Processes tab, Right-Click on the entry for your browser and select End Task:

Now click on the Cortana icon in the lower left hand corner

or click in the Cortana space (same area as the icon) and type: google.com

Your browser will launch normally and continue to do so thereafter.

Set Up Chrome Remote Desktop On Another User's Machine And Keep Your Google Account Private

NOTE: Please let me know if you found something confusing or unexpected.


If you are the "tech support" for others you may find it easier to set up Chrome Remote Desktop (CRD) on their computer so you can access their machine without the user needing to do anything more than turn their computer on. The problem is that if you don't do it right you can risk opening up your Google account to the other user. The following guide will help you set up CRD and keep your account and Chrome settings private. NOTE: You should never access another person's computer without their permission. Explain your intent before you use this method to add someone else's computer to your list of accessible computers in CRD. Finally, keep in mind that when you access someone else's computer using CRD they will be notified.


Install Chrome on the user's computer and make sure it is setup to run in the background (you can find this under Chrome's Settings | Advanced Settings).

Open Google's Web Store.

Add Chrome Remote Desktop (CRD) to the user's account.

Click the Person1 or their name in the upper right of the Chrome browser.

Select Switch Person.

Add your account but note it will try to load all your extensions in (it will only add it to your session - not the user's - so you really don't need to worry about it).


Under My Computers, click "Get started".

Click Enable remote connections and install the Chrome Remote Host Service.



IMPORTANT: When all is set, logout of your Google account, then go back to the "Switch User" option at the top right of the Chrome browser and remove you. You should still be able to access the user's machine.

Now when you open up Chrome Remote Desktop on your machine (under your account, of course) you should the user's computer as an available option.