Remove Chrome Update Center popup virus

Learn how to get rid of fake Chrome Update Center popups to avoid computer infestation with more viruses and make web browsing experience hassle-free again.

1. What is the Chrome Update Center virus?
2. Automated removal of Chrome Update Center virus
3. Restore Chrome settings to their original defaults

What is the Chrome Update Center virus?

Just like any other software, web browsers are updated regularly to get new vulnerabilities patched and deliver fresh features to the users. The fact that such tweaks are mundane and fairly frequent makes people treat them as a routine action that doesn’t require more than a click and a few seconds wait until the changes take effect and the browser relaunches. The wicked architects of social engineering campaigns, though, view this process in their very own distorted way. The crooks spread malware that forwards victims’ traffic to phony update sites, as is the case with the Chrome Update Center popup scam. In this scenario, the target users’ web surfing is constantly interrupted by irritating redirects to a rogue page that displays a bogus alert listing a few critical adverse consequences of not applying the update immediately.

At the initial phase of the attack, the mechanism of this fraud involves a browser hijacker that causes the Internet traffic to be rerouted in a recurrent fashion. This is most likely an obtrusive plugin or add-on that invokes unauthorized commands to alter the victim’s browsing defaults, such as the homepage, new tab page, and search provider. The triggers for web navigation skewing can additionally span garden-variety clicks on random sites as well. In the aftermath of this interference, the user will be ending up on the deceptive page more often than on any other resource. The destination URLs constitute a so-called fast flux network, which means that they will vary from instance to instance. Meanwhile, the content presented to visitors is the same. In regards to the gist of the manipulation, the page renders a bunch of weird question signs to make it look like the browser cannot interpret the information correctly. The pivot of the con, however, is the misguiding popup alert that says,

Chrome Update Center

A critical error has occurred due to the outdated version of the browser. Update your browser as soon as possible.

The following errors are also possible on outdated versions of the browser:

Loss of personal and stored data

Confidential information leak

Browser errors

The goal of the fraud is to fool the user into clicking the “Update” button at the bottom of this spoof popup warning. Although the victim may be clueless about the outcome of this seemingly harmless workflow, this action is actually a launchpad for a much more serious contamination of the computer. The payload disguised as a package of browser components can be a virus of absolutely any severity degree. An example is a crypto ransomware strain that will instantly find and encrypt all personal data on the PC, with demands of a private key buyout in cryptocurrency ensuing from the predicament. Another possible disaster is a spyware attack that will harvest sensitive information and send it to the operators of this hoax.

All in all, the Chrome Update Center virus popup is potentially more dangerous than commonplace tech support scams that make the rounds in pretty much the same way. Rather than dupe the victims into contacting a pseudo technician to fix some purported system issues for a fee, this technique serves deleterious viruses that do more damage. Therefore, it’s in the victim’s best interest to avoid clicking on the “Update” button there, and it’s just as important to remove the malware that causes these noxious browser redirects in the first place.

Automated removal of Chrome Update Center virus

Owing to an up-to-date database of malware signatures and intelligent behavioral detection, the recommended software can quickly locate the infection, eradicate it and remediate all harmful changes. So go ahead and do the following:

1. Download and install the antimalware tool. Open the solution and have it check your PC for PUPs and other types of malicious software by clicking the Start Computer Scan button

Download Chrome Update Center virus remover

2. Rest assured the scan report will list all items that may harm your operating system. Select the detected entries and click Fix Threats to get the troubleshooting completed.

Use Control Panel to get rid of the Chrome Update Center popup virus

• Open up the Control Panel from your Start menu in Windows XP/Vista/7/8/8.1/10 and select Uninstall a program

• To facilitate the process of locating the threat, sort the programs list by date to get the latest ones displayed at the very top. Find an unfamiliar, suspicious entry under the Name column, click Uninstall and follow further directions to get the removal done

Restore Chrome settings to their original defaults

In the circumstances of a complex browser hijack like this, executing a reset makes the most sense despite a few obvious downsides. Customizations such as saved passwords, bookmarked pages etc. will be gone, but so will all the changes made by the potentially unwanted program. The instructions below address the workflow for Chrome browser targeted by the Chrome Update Center virus.

Reset Google Chrome

• Open Chrome, expand the Customize and control Google Chrome menu and choose Settings

• Scroll down the settings screen and click Advanced down at the bottom

• Move on to the Reset and clean up sub-section and select the option that says Restore settings to their original defaults

• Finally, confirm the restoration by clicking Reset settings on the warning message

• Restart Chrome.

Revise your security status

Post-factum assessment of the accuracy component in malware removal scenarios is a great habit that prevents the comeback of harmful code or replication of its unattended fractions. Make sure you are good to go by running an additional safety checkup.

Download Chrome Update Center popup virus removal tool