How To Stop Fake Virus Pop-Ups On Your Windows PC

That "critical Microsoft alert" is a scam that tricks you into installing actual malware.

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You're browsing as normal, when all of a sudden you see an urgent pop-up flashing an alarming warning that your computer has been infected with a virus. The good news is these alerts are almost always fake: they sometimes occur when websites have been compromised and send notifications to make you think your computer is infected. But if you fall for this, you…