“Your computer was locked – Error # DT00X2” popup removal

Error # DT00X2 is an element of intimidation used in an ongoing tech support scam, where criminals try to charge victims for removing fake threats.

Tech support scams are dominating the landscape of non-email online frauds. The con artists behind them pass themselves off as Microsoft technicians and urge victims to give them a phone call, install dubious software or hand over sensitive credentials to enable troubleshooting otherwise the system will allegedly crash. The campaign involving “Your computer was locked – Error # DT00X2” error popups is this exact type. It is typically backed by malware that forcibly redirects a target user’s browser to a spoof web page designed according to the BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) theme. The whole hype appears credible due to the Microsoft-style design of the rogue site and the error code mentioned on it. No one who ends up on the page knows what on earth the Error # DT00X2 thing means, but quite a few people will at least get interested or even fall for the scare tactic.

What gives this scam a little bit more flavor of pressure is the additional popup alert that basically reiterates the warning in the background, stating the computer has been locked due to the above-mentioned error. The fake notification titled Security Warning blames it on “virus and spyware” that’s claimed to pose a threat to the user’s social media access credentials, financial details, as well as browsing-related data. To address the issue, the object of this manipulation is instructed to contact “Microsoft engineer” over a toll-free number, which varies for different sub-campaigns of the scam in question. According to the alert, the self-proclaimed engineer will walk the user through the recovery process by phone, and it’s purportedly obligatory to call them within 5 minutes or else the computer will go down the drain. Here’s the word-for-word rendering of this deceptive warning:

YOUR COMPUTER WAS LOCKED
Error # DT00X2

Call Microsoft Technical Support at: [impostors’ phone number, e.g. +1-888-991-5705]

Do Not Ignore This Warning
If you close this page without resolving issue, access to your computer will be disabled to prevent further damage to our network.

Your computer has alerted us that it was infected with virus and spyware. The following data is at risk:

1. Facebook Login
2. Credit Card Information
3. Email Credentials
4. Browsing History and Data

You must contact us immediately so our engineers can guide you through the recovery process by phone. Please call us within the next 5 minutes to prevent complete loss of your computer.

Contact Microsoft Engineer: (Toll-Free): [rogue phone number]

Note how the swindlers cleverly emphasize that one of the reasons for blocking the computer is to thwart damage to Microsoft’s network that supposedly emanates from the victim’s malware-tainted PC. This way, the ne’er-do-wells pretend to pursue the commendable objective of protecting the user’s system while also saving the famous software giant the trouble of dealing with viruses that the computer is claimed to sprinkle around. By the way, the manipulative message in this particular scam is fairly well written from the grammar and spelling viewpoint, as opposed to the majority of similar tech support frauds out there. This suggests that the crooks are quite competent in what they are doing.

All attempts to close the Error # DT00X2 popup alert by clicking the X button or hitting OK are going to be futile as the script on the website will keep triggering it regardless. To add insult to injury, an additional popup will show up that asks the victim to enter their admin username and password – again, allegedly for troubleshooting. It goes without saying that typing anything in that dialog box is a really bad idea.

The key thing to bear in mind regarding the “Your computer was locked – Error # DT00X2” popup alert is that it’s fake. The only malicious code operating on your machine is the browser hijacker that’s causing constant redirects to the misleading web page in the first place. Therefore, you don’t have to call any phone number or, what’s worse, provide your admin access details. Just fix the browser redirect issue, which is a process that the steps below cover comprehensively.

Automated removal of the “Your computer was locked – Error # DT00X2” 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 Error # DT00X2 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 “Error # DT00X2” popup virus

• Open up the Control Panel from your Start menu in Windows 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 a suspicious or clearly malicious entry under the Name column, click Uninstall and follow further directions to get the removal done.

Restore web browser 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 the web browsers most targeted by this 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.

Reset Mozilla Firefox

• Open Firefox, type about:support in the URL area and press Enter. Alternatively, you can click on the Open menu icon in the top right-hand part of the browser window, then select the Help option and proceed to Troubleshooting Information

• On the Troubleshooting Information screen, spot the Refresh Firefox button and click on it

• Follow subsequent directions to reset Firefox to its original settings

• Restart the browser.

Reset Internet Explorer

• Select Internet options under IE’s Tools (Alt+X)

• Proceed by clicking on Advanced tab, then select Reset

• To confirm the intended changes, click Reset on the Reset Internet Explorer Settings screen after ascertaining that the Delete personal settings checkbox is enabled

• Reboot the machine to fully implement the fix.

Reset Safari

• Go to the Safari menu and select Preferences

• When on the Preferences screen, select the Privacy tab and hit the Remove All Website Data button if you are up to erasing all website data stored on your Mac. Otherwise, you can use a site-specific removal option described below

• A dialog will appear, asking you to validate your choice. Click the Remove Now button if you are sure. Be advised this will log you out of online services and undo personalized web browser settings such as saved passwords, etc.

• Safari also allows deleting data for specific sites rather than all sites in general. To use this option, click the Details button under Privacy tab

• Select the websites for which you would like to erase data and click the Remove button

• Click the Done button to confirm and exit. You can also select the Remove All option to remove all data stored by the listed websites.

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 Error # DT00X2 popup virus removal tool