How to remove “Security Protection Center” pop-up scam

What is “Security Protection Center” pop-up scam

Security Protection Center pop-up scam is a deceptive online tactic that aims to mislead users into believing their computers are compromised by security threats. This fraudulent pop-up typically appears when individuals visit compromised websites or click on malicious ads, creating an urgent sense of panic by falsely claiming that multiple security issues have been detected on their devices. The scam exploits users’ fears regarding their digital safety, often luring them into subscribing to unnecessary antivirus services at a cost, thereby leading to financial loss. In addition to monetary implications, victims may inadvertently disclose sensitive personal information, including credit card details and addresses, to the scammers. The consequences can escalate further, potentially resulting in identity theft as well as unauthorized access to various online accounts. Generally, this scam serves to reinforce the need for users to remain vigilant and cautious when navigating the internet, especially when encountering unfamiliar pop-ups or offers. Ultimately, recognizing and avoiding such scams is crucial for maintaining online security and personal privacy.

How “Security Protection Center” pop-up scam infected your computer

The “Security Protection Center” scam primarily infects computers through deceptive pop-up ads and misleading websites that trick users into believing their devices are compromised. When users click on these ads, they are redirected to a fraudulent page that displays alarming messages about supposed security threats, creating a sense of urgency and fear. This manipulation often leads users to inadvertently download malicious software or provide sensitive personal information, such as credit card details, in an attempt to resolve the fictitious issues presented. Additionally, the scam may rely on compromised websites and rogue online ads that exploit vulnerabilities in users’ browsers or systems, further facilitating the distribution of harmful content. Once infected, users may experience a range of issues, including identity theft, monetary loss, and the installation of additional malware, all stemming from their initial interaction with this deceptive scheme. To mitigate these risks, users should exercise caution when navigating the web, avoid suspicious ads, and utilize reputable security software to detect and block potential threats.

1. Download Security Protection Center Removal Tool
2. Remove/Uninstall programs causing Security Protection Center pop-ups from Control Panel and Applications
3. Remove Security Protection Center-related extensions from browsers
4. Reset browser search and homepage settings
5. Block Security Protection Center ads
6. How to protect from threats causing Security Protection Center ads

Remove “Security Protection Center” pop-up virus manually for free

Here is the manual step-by-step tutorial for full “Security Protection Center” pop-ups removal from your computer. This works 99% and was checked with the latest versions of operating systems with the latest updates and browser versions.

Remove program causing “Security Protection Center” pop-ups from Control Panel or Applications

To start removing program, that may be a reason for “Security Protection Center” pop-ups you should uninstall it using Control Panel. It can be present by different random names, just search for recently installed, unknown or suspicious app. It should uninstall correctly, however, we recommend you to use IObit Uninstaller to clean leftover items after uninstalling. Here are instructions for Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10 and Mac.

Remove app causing “Security Protection Center” pop-ups from Mac:

1. In the Finder sidebar, click Applications.
2. Unwanted program might have an Uninstaller.
3. Otherwise, drag unwanted program from the Applications folder to the Trash (located at the end of the Dock).
4. Then choose Finder > Empty Trash.

Remove program, that may cause “Security Protection Center” pop-ups from Windows XP:

1. Click on Start button.
2. Choose Control Panel.
3. Click Add or Remove Programs.
4. Find unwanted program or other recently installed suspicious program.
5. Click Uninstall.

Remove program, that may cause “Security Protection Center” pop-ups from Windows 7:

1. Click Start button.
2. Then go to Control Panel.
3. Click Uninstall a Program.
4. Find unwanted program or other recently installed suspicious program and click Uninstall.

Remove program, that may cause “Security Protection Center” pop-ups from Windows 8:

1. Hover mouse pointer to the bottom-right corner to see Menu.
2. Click Search.
3. After that click Apps.
4. Then Control Panel.
5. Click Uninstall a Program under Programs.
6. Find unwanted program or other recently installed suspicious program, click Uninstall.

Remove program, that may cause “Security Protection Center” pop-ups from Windows 10:

There are 2 ways to uninstall program, that may cause “Security Protection Center” from Windows 10

Way one

1. Click on the Start button.
2. In opened menu choose Settings.
3. Click on the System tile.
4. Click Apps & features and locate unwanted program or other recently installed suspicious program in the list.
5. Click on it and then click Uninstall button near it.

Way two (classic)

1. Right-click on the Start button.
2. In opened menu choose Programs and Features.
3. Locate unwanted program or other recently installed suspicious program in the list.
4. Click on it and then click Uninstall button above.

Remove app, that may cause “Security Protection Center” pop-ups from Windows 11:

1. Right-click on the Start button.
2. In opened menu choose Settings.
3. Click on the Apps tab on the left side.
4. Click Apps & features and locate recently installed suspicious program in the list.
5. Click on 3-dots icon near it and then click Uninstall button near it.
6. Depending on the type of application (Windows Store app or classic Win32 app) it will be removed immediately or you will need to confirm the action and go through standard uninstall procedure.

Remove app, that may cause “Security Protection Center” pop-ups from iOS:

1. Carefully inspect all apps on your iOS device.
2. Find unnecessary, unwanted or suspicious ones.
3. Tap on unwanted app and hold until additional menu appears.
4. Tap Delete App in opened menu.

Remove app, that may cause “Security Protection Center” pop-ups from Android:

1. Open the Google Play Store and choose My apps & games
2. Carefully inspect all apps on your Android device and find unnecessary, unwanted or suspicious ones.
3. Tap on unwanted app and tap Uninstall button.

Cannot uninstall program, that may cause “Security Protection Center” pop-ups

In some cases, suspicious application won’t uninstall and gives you a message that “You do not have sufficient access to uninstall “Program Name”. Please, contact your system administrator” when you try to remove it from Control Panel or “Access denied” error when removing the folder and files of this app. This happens because the process or service does not allow you to do it. In this case, I will recommend you to use SpyHunter 5 or Malwarebytes or uninstall unwanted program in Safe Mode. To boot in Safe Mode do the following:

1. Reboot your computer.
2. While it starts booting press F8 button.
3. This will open Advanced Boot Options menu.
4. Choose Safe Mode and wait until Windows loads.
5. Go to Control Panel > Uninstall a program and remove unwanted program or other recently installed suspicious program

>> See detailed instructions and video tutorial on how to boot in Safe Mode

and for Mac:

If you can’t uninstall app causing “Security Protection Center” pop-ups using instructions above, or it keeps coming back, you can use free AppCleaner for Mac to remove all residual data and libraries of unwanted application. Follow instructions below:

1. Download free AppCleaner.
2. Drag unwanted app from Applications folder to AppCleaner window.
3. Choose files and folders you want to remove along with “Security Protection Center”.
4. Click Delete button.

Remove malicious add-ons from your browsers

Uninstalling programs, that generate “Security Protection Center” pop-ups from Control Panel often does not bring the desired effect. It sometimes has browser extension and it may still be active in Safari, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox. Here are instructions on how to remove extensions causing “Security Protection Center” ads from your browsers manually.

Safari:

1. Start Safari on your Mac, click Safari to open drop-down menu and choose Preferences
2. Click Extensions tab.
3. Find suspicious extension.
4. Click Uninstall button to remove it.

Google Chrome:

1. Start Google Chrome browser
2. In address box type (or copy-paste) chrome://extensions.
3. Find suspicious extension.
4. Click the trash can icon to remove them.
5. Also remove other suspicious extensions from the list.

Mozilla Firefox:

1. Start Mozilla Firefox browser.
2. In address box type (or copy-paste) about:addons.
3. Choose suspicious extension.
4. Click Disable or Remove button.
5. Remove all suspicious extensions from the list.

Internet Explorer (9, 10, 11):

Note: There is no feature to remove browser extensions from browser in latest version of Internet Explorer. To remove suspicious add-on from Internet Explorer, please, perform instructions for uninstalling the program from Control Panel. To disable the suspicious add-on, please, do the following:

1. Open Internet Explorer.
2. Click on gear/asterisk icon in the top-right corner.
3. In opened menu Manage Add-ons.
4. Select Toolbars and Extensions.
5. Click Disable or Security Protection Center related extension.
6. Also disable other suspicious extensions from the list.

Reset browsers settings (homepage, default search)

Here is an instruction to reset your browser’s homepage, new tab and search engine to default values and delete history, cache, and cookies.

Reset Safari on Mac:

1. Start Safari on your Mac, click Safari to open drop-down menu and choose Preferences
2. Go to the Privacy section of Safari’s preferences.
3. Click Remove All Website Data button.
4. In opened window click Remove Now button to remove data stored by websites in Safari.
5. Go to the Advanced section of Safari’s preferences.
6. Click the Show Develop menu in menu bar option.
7. In the menu click Develop and select Empty Caches from this menu.
8. Again, go to Safari menu and choose Clear History….
9. Choose to clear all history and click Clear History button.

Reset Safari on iOS:

1. Go to Settings, find Safari and tap on it
2. Tap on Clear History and Website Data and confirm your action.

Reset Google Chrome on Mac or Windows:

1. Start Google Chrome browser
2. In address box type (or copy-paste) chrome://settings.
3. Scroll down and find Show advanced settings link.
4. Click on it and scroll down to the bottom again.
5. Click Reset browser settings button and click Reset to confirm.

Reset Google Chrome on Android:

1. On Android device go to Settings > Apps, find Chrome app and tap on it
2. Tap on Storage and tap on Manage storage button on the left.
3. Tap Clear all data and confirm your action by tapping on OK button in the next dialog box.

Reset Mozilla Firefox:

1. Start Mozilla Firefox browser.
2. In address box type (or copy-paste) about:support.
3. Click Reset Firefox… button.
4. Click Reset Firefox to confirm.

Internet Explorer (9, 10, 11):

1. Start Internet Explorer.
2. Click on gear/asterisk icon in the top-right corner.
3. In opened menu choose Internet options.
4. Click Advanced tab.
5. Click Reset button.
6. Choose Delete personal settings and click Reset.

How to block “Security Protection Center” ads and pop-ups

“Security Protection Center” pop-ups, in most cases, are caused by a program installed on your PC or add-on installed in browsers. However, sometimes it can appear on a clean computer when visiting a malicious website, using an advertising script. Also, apps that generate “Security Protection Center” ads and banners are themselves installed from pop-ups. To protect your PC and browsers from phishing websites, pop-up ads, banners, malicious scripts it is recommended to use AdGuard. Download free trial here:

Download AdGuard for Windows	Download AdGuard for Mac
Download AdGuard for Android	Download AdGuard for iOS

Final tips

Be careful surfing the internet and downloading software, as programs, that cause “Security Protection Center” pop-ups, may become a real headache as they are hard to remove and break your privacy. To keep safe from such threats we recommend you always use antivirus and one of the anti-malware programs available on the market. One of the best anti-spyware and anti-malware programs is SpyHunter 5. It can protect your PC from threats, causing “Security Protection Center” pop-ups.