This article has been created to explain what is the Office365 scamming redirect which aims to steal your Office365 credentials from your computer.
A new form of phishing attack has been detected to be introduced in the same theme as ProtonMail, but display prompt that asks the victim to enter his or hers Office365 credentials to login. The phishing is believed to originate from a suspicious browser extension, an unwanted program installed on the victim’s computer that displays advertisements or even a Trojan type of malware with adware capabilities. If you see the Office365 popping up on your web browser, we do advise that you focus on immediately taking actions towards removing this scam from your computer.
Threat Summary
| Name | Office365 "Virus" Page |
| Type | Phishing Redirect / Unwanted Program |
| Short Description | Aims to modify the settings on your web browser in order to get it to cause browser redirects to a fake Office365 login page. |
| Symptoms | Your browser may experience automatic redirects to a web page that asks you to sign in Office365 with your username and password.. |
| Distribution Method | Bundled downloads. Web pages which may advertise it. |
| Detection Tool |
See If Your System Has Been Affected by malware
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Malware Removal Tool
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User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss Office365 "Virus" Page. |
Office365 “Virus” – How Did I Get It
One of the main way via which programs that cause redirects to web pages, like the Office365 scam is believed to be via software bundling operations. These types of activities often involved third-party programs that are often downloaded by users. Such programs include drivers, media players, downloaders, converters and any other free helper program you can think of. They often come embedded with ad-supported programs and PUPs which are cleverly masked as a seemingly legitimate software that is added to the installers of those programs. One such software may be the one which introduces the Office365 phishing screens on the victim PCs. But it is not easy to detect those programs when you install freeware, since they are often concealed well within the “Advanced” or “Custom” installation modes.
Another method and scenario via which the Office365 may be spread on your computer system is if you have tried to download a document by clicking on a web link and have received the following notification:
Such web links may be sent to your via e-mail to pretend to lead you to the online viewing of any form of seemingly important document from the likes of an invoice, receipt or something urgent.
Office365 Phishing “Virus” – Analysis
Once installed on your computer, the Office365 redirect virus may immediately start to modify various different aspects of your computer. The software may create scheduled tasks or modify the Windows Registry Editor so that it runs some particular files automatically on system boot.
In addition to modifying Windows, the Office365 redirect PUP may also heavily modify your web browser and change your home page, new tab page and other segments of your browser so that you use suspicious third-party search engines in order to see different advertisemetns.
In addition to this, the Office365 pop-up “virus” may also introduce various types of tracking technologies on your web browser with the purpose to obtain your:
- Online search history.
- Online browsing history.
- Online clicks.
- Keystrokes you entered on your browser.
- Ads you have clicked on.
These technologies may be used by the Office365 “Virus” in order to cause different types of advertisements on your computer. The main one of those is the fake Office365 login page, which resembles the one used by ProtonMail. The page appears like the following:
But Office365 is not the only target of the cyber-criminals who are behind this phishing attack. They also add other forms of Sign In, hopefully to steal your credentials of other services you might be tricked into logging in. The main imitation of these phishing messages is the anonymous e-mail service protonmail and the sign-in screen even adds ©2017 PROTONMAIL.COM underneath it in order to increase trust:
If you see the following screen, it is very important not to entery any usernames and passwords in it and immediately check your computer for malware to make sure that it is protected and you do not see any more phishing attempts on your credentials.
How to Remove and Stop Office365 Phishing Attempts
In the event that you have seen fake Dropbox, Facebook, Protonmail, and other types of fake e-mails that have transferred you to those fake web pages, it is extremely important that you make the necessary changes to stop spam messages in the future. In order to learn how you can do that, we recommend that you read the related article underneath which aims to help you stay protected against phishing and malicious e-mails in the future:
Related: How to Protect Yourself from Phishing or Malicious E-Mails
However, if you also see automatic browser redirections on your computer that directly lead you to web pages, like the fake Office365 login page, it is urgent that you follow the removal instructions underneath to remove any potentially unwanted program or malware that may be causing these phishing pages to appear. If manual removal instructions do not work and you still experience advertisements and redirects, it is recommended to run a scan using a professional anti-malware software on your PC. It will automatically scan your computer and locate any malware or adware that may currently be residing on your computer.
Ventsislav Krastev
Ventsislav is a cybersecurity expert at SensorsTechForum since 2015. He has been researching, covering, helping victims with the latest malware infections plus testing and reviewing software and the newest tech developments. Having graduated Marketing as well, Ventsislav also has passion for learning new shifts and innovations in cybersecurity that become game changers. After studying Value Chain Management, Network Administration and Computer Administration of System Applications, he found his true calling within the cybersecrurity industry and is a strong believer in the education of every user towards online safety and security.
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- Mac OS X
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How to Remove Office365 "Virus" Page from Windows.
Step 1: Scan for Office365 "Virus" Page with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
Step 2: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode
Step 3: Uninstall Office365 "Virus" Page and related software from Windows
Uninstall Steps for Windows 11
Uninstall Steps for Windows 10 and Older Versions
Here is a method in few easy steps that should be able to uninstall most programs. No matter if you are using Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista or XP, those steps will get the job done. Dragging the program or its folder to the recycle bin can be a very bad decision. If you do that, bits and pieces of the program are left behind, and that can lead to unstable work of your PC, errors with the file type associations and other unpleasant activities. The proper way to get a program off your computer is to Uninstall it. To do that:
Follow the instructions above and you will successfully uninstall most programs.
Step 4: Clean Any registries, Created by Office365 "Virus" Page on Your PC.
The usually targeted registries of Windows machines are the following:
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
You can access them by opening the Windows registry editor and deleting any values, created by Office365 "Virus" Page there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:
Tip: To find a virus-created value, you can right-click on it and click "Modify" to see which file it is set to run. If this is the virus file location, remove the value.
Video Removal Guide for Office365 "Virus" Page (Windows).
Get rid of Office365 "Virus" Page from Mac OS X.
Step 1: Uninstall Office365 "Virus" Page and remove related files and objects
Your Mac will then show you a list of items that start automatically when you log in. Look for any suspicious apps identical or similar to Office365 "Virus" Page. Check the app you want to stop from running automatically and then select on the Minus (“-“) icon to hide it.
- Go to Finder.
- In the search bar type the name of the app that you want to remove.
- Above the search bar change the two drop down menus to “System Files” and “Are Included” so that you can see all of the files associated with the application you want to remove. Bear in mind that some of the files may not be related to the app so be very careful which files you delete.
- If all of the files are related, hold the ⌘+A buttons to select them and then drive them to “Trash”.
In case you cannot remove Office365 "Virus" Page via Step 1 above:
In case you cannot find the virus files and objects in your Applications or other places we have shown above, you can manually look for them in the Libraries of your Mac. But before doing this, please read the disclaimer below:
You can repeat the same procedure with the following other Library directories:
→ ~/Library/LaunchAgents
/Library/LaunchDaemons
Tip: ~ is there on purpose, because it leads to more LaunchAgents.
Step 2: Scan for and remove Office365 "Virus" Page files from your Mac
When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as Office365 "Virus" Page, the recommended way of eliminating the threat is by using an anti-malware program. SpyHunter for Mac offers advanced security features along with other modules that will improve your Mac’s security and protect it in the future.
Video Removal Guide for Office365 "Virus" Page (Mac)
Remove Office365 "Virus" Page from Google Chrome.
Step 1: Start Google Chrome and open the drop menu
Step 2: Move the cursor over "Tools" and then from the extended menu choose "Extensions"
Step 3: From the opened "Extensions" menu locate the unwanted extension and click on its "Remove" button.
Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Google Chrome by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.
Erase Office365 "Virus" Page from Mozilla Firefox.
Step 1: Start Mozilla Firefox. Open the menu window:
Step 2: Select the "Add-ons" icon from the menu.
Step 3: Select the unwanted extension and click "Remove"
Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Mozilla Firefox by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.
Uninstall Office365 "Virus" Page from Microsoft Edge.
Step 1: Start Edge browser.
Step 2: Open the drop menu by clicking on the icon at the top right corner.
Step 3: From the drop menu select "Extensions".
Step 4: Choose the suspected malicious extension you want to remove and then click on the gear icon.
Step 5: Remove the malicious extension by scrolling down and then clicking on Uninstall.
Remove Office365 "Virus" Page from Safari
Step 1: Start the Safari app.
Step 2: After hovering your mouse cursor to the top of the screen, click on the Safari text to open its drop down menu.
Step 3: From the menu, click on "Preferences".
Step 4: After that, select the 'Extensions' Tab.
Step 5: Click once on the extension you want to remove.
Step 6: Click 'Uninstall'.
A pop-up window will appear asking for confirmation to uninstall the extension. Select 'Uninstall' again, and the Office365 "Virus" Page will be removed.
Eliminate Office365 "Virus" Page from Internet Explorer.
Step 1: Start Internet Explorer.
Step 2: Click on the gear icon labeled 'Tools' to open the drop menu and select 'Manage Add-ons'
Step 3: In the 'Manage Add-ons' window.
Step 4: Select the extension you want to remove and then click 'Disable'. A pop-up window will appear to inform you that you are about to disable the selected extension, and some more add-ons might be disabled as well. Leave all the boxes checked, and click 'Disable'.
Step 5: After the unwanted extension has been removed, restart Internet Explorer by closing it from the red 'X' button located at the top right corner and start it again.
Remove Push Notifications from Your Browsers
Turn Off Push Notifications from Google Chrome
To disable any Push Notices from Google Chrome browser, please follow the steps below:
Step 1: Go to Settings in Chrome.
Step 2: In Settings, select “Advanced Settings”:
Step 3: Click “Content Settings”:
Step 4: Open “Notifications”:
Step 5: Click the three dots and choose Block, Edit or Remove options:
Remove Push Notifications on Firefox
Step 1: Go to Firefox Options.
Step 2: Go to “Settings”, type “notifications” in the search bar and click "Settings":
Step 3: Click “Remove” on any site you wish notifications gone and click “Save Changes”
Stop Push Notifications on Opera
Step 1: In Opera, press ALT+P to go to Settings.
Step 2: In Setting search, type “Content” to go to Content Settings.
Step 3: Open Notifications:
Step 4: Do the same as you did with Google Chrome (explained below):
Eliminate Push Notifications on Safari
Step 1: Open Safari Preferences.
Step 2: Choose the domain from where you like push pop-ups gone and change to "Deny" from "Allow".
Office365 "Virus" Page-FAQ
What Is Office365 "Virus" Page?
The Office365 "Virus" Page threat is adware or browser redirect virus.
It may slow your computer down significantly and display advertisements. The main idea is for your information to likely get stolen or more ads to appear on your device.
The creators of such unwanted apps work with pay-per-click schemes to get your computer to visit risky or different types of websites that may generate them funds. This is why they do not even care what types of websites show up on the ads. This makes their unwanted software indirectly risky for your OS.
What Are the Symptoms of Office365 "Virus" Page?
There are several symptoms to look for when this particular threat and also unwanted apps in general are active:
Symptom #1: Your computer may become slow and have poor performance in general.
Symptom #2: You have toolbars, add-ons or extensions on your web browsers that you don't remember adding.
Symptom #3: You see all types of ads, like ad-supported search results, pop-ups and redirects to randomly appear.
Symptom #4: You see installed apps on your Mac running automatically and you do not remember installing them.
Symptom #5: You see suspicious processes running in your Task Manager.
If you see one or more of those symptoms, then security experts recommend that you check your computer for viruses.
What Types of Unwanted Programs Are There?
According to most malware researchers and cyber-security experts, the threats that can currently affect your device can be rogue antivirus software, adware, browser hijackers, clickers, fake optimizers and any forms of PUPs.
What to Do If I Have a "virus" like Office365 "Virus" Page?
With few simple actions. First and foremost, it is imperative that you follow these steps:
Step 1: Find a safe computer and connect it to another network, not the one that your Mac was infected in.
Step 2: Change all of your passwords, starting from your email passwords.
Step 3: Enable two-factor authentication for protection of your important accounts.
Step 4: Call your bank to change your credit card details (secret code, etc.) if you have saved your credit card for online shopping or have done online activities with your card.
Step 5: Make sure to call your ISP (Internet provider or carrier) and ask them to change your IP address.
Step 6: Change your Wi-Fi password.
Step 7: (Optional): Make sure to scan all of the devices connected to your network for viruses and repeat these steps for them if they are affected.
Step 8: Install anti-malware software with real-time protection on every device you have.
Step 9: Try not to download software from sites you know nothing about and stay away from low-reputation websites in general.
If you follow these recommendations, your network and all devices will become significantly more secure against any threats or information invasive software and be virus free and protected in the future too.
How Does Office365 "Virus" Page Work?
Once installed, Office365 "Virus" Page can collect data using trackers. This data is about your web browsing habits, such as the websites you visit and the search terms you use. It is then used to target you with ads or to sell your information to third parties.
Office365 "Virus" Page can also download other malicious software onto your computer, such as viruses and spyware, which can be used to steal your personal information and show risky ads, that may redirect to virus sites or scams.
Is Office365 "Virus" Page Malware?
The truth is that PUPs (adware, browser hijackers) are not viruses, but may be just as dangerous since they may show you and redirect you to malware websites and scam pages.
Many security experts classify potentially unwanted programs as malware. This is because of the unwanted effects that PUPs can cause, such as displaying intrusive ads and collecting user data without the user’s knowledge or consent.
About the Office365 "Virus" Page Research
The content we publish on SensorsTechForum.com, this Office365 "Virus" Page how-to removal guide included, is the outcome of extensive research, hard work and our team’s devotion to help you remove the specific, adware-related problem, and restore your browser and computer system.
How did we conduct the research on Office365 "Virus" Page?
Please note that our research is based on independent investigation. We are in contact with independent security researchers, thanks to which we receive daily updates on the latest malware, adware, and browser hijacker definitions.
Furthermore, the research behind the Office365 "Virus" Page threat is backed with VirusTotal.
To better understand this online threat, please refer to the following articles which provide knowledgeable details.