“Virusdefense.info” is the domain of a fake tech support website; but it can also have a browser extension or a Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP) installed on a victim’s PC. The user may be constantly redirected to the domain and unable to get out of the domain or browser. There are also pop-ups that support the scam, claiming that the user is infected with viruses and in order to prevent data loss, the user “must” call a phone number.
Name | Virusdefense.info |
Type | Tech Support Scam, PUP |
Short Description | Aims to deceive users into believing that their system is infected with Trojans, worms, and other malware. Features a phone number. |
Symptoms | Background imitating a legitimate anti-virus program screen with pop-ups claiming that users must call a number to remove viruses on their computer. |
Distribution Method | Freeware installers, Visiting suspicious websites, Browser Redirects |
Detection Tool | Download Malware Removal Tool, to See If Your System Has Been Affected by malware |
User Experience | Join our forum to follow the discussion about Virusdefense.info. |
Virusdefense.info – How Did I Get It?
The PUP and/or browser extension that support the “Virusdefense.info” domain usually get into your computer via third-party installers. They can sneak into your computer without your consent, by concealing themselves in freeware installations and bundled packages.
In these packages, additional components for installation are not always disclosed properly, and people get tricked into installing potentially unwanted programs such as those related to “Virusdefense.info”. Sometimes that can be avoided by clicking on the “Advanced” or “Custom” option in an installation setup to see what will be installed.
Other ways of getting infected are by opening spam emails and downloading e-mail attachments, or by clicking on various ads and banners containing malicious content.
Virusdefense.info – More About It
“Virusdefense.info” is a malicious domain of a fake tech support website. It has another variant as “Virusdefense.info/us”. It claims that your computer is infected with different forms of malware and viruses. It also claims to be able to remove them if call the phone number “1-866-848-6738”. You are supposed to say the security “error message” that keeps popping up “S1M457”.
The truth is that this may be the most expensive call in your life. It is definitely not free, and it will cost a lot of money per impulse. That is not the only reason you should NOT in any circumstances call the fake support number – the scammers that run the website, may also try to get you to tell them personal details and financial information using different tricky techniques. Then they can sell that data to the highest bidder or take advantage of it themselves according to their interests.
Another interesting thing is that the site represents only a picture, which is not even in high quality:
You may not be able to figure out it is only a picture, due to the constant windows that keep popping up. Thus you see everything of that background very blurry. From the redirects and the pop-ups that you may get, you could be unable to surf the internet or even close the browser. Everything is done in such a matter to scare you and for you to rush in and abide by the site’s rules. So you can give money to the scammers as described above.
“Virusdefense.info” may also collect information about you through cookies and custom Java Script files injected through the browser extension or a program installed on your PC that is assisting the fake support site.
Remove Virusdefense.info Fully from Your PC
To remove “Virusdefense.info” manually from your computer, make sure to follow the step-by-step removal instructions provided down below. In case the manual removal does not get rid of the browser redirects and PUPs completely, you should search for and remove the leftovers with an advanced anti-malware program. Installing such a program will also make certain that your system is secure from other threats you may run into.
- Guide 1: How to Remove Virusdefense.info from Windows.
- Guide 2: Get rid of Virusdefense.info from Mac OS X.
- Guide 3: Remove Virusdefense.info from Google Chrome.
- Guide 4: Erase Virusdefense.info from Mozilla Firefox.
- Guide 5: Uninstall Virusdefense.info from Microsoft Edge.
- Guide 6: Remove Virusdefense.info from Safari.
- Guide 7: Eliminate Virusdefense.info from Internet Explorer.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
How to Remove Virusdefense.info from Windows.
Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove Virusdefense.info





Step 2: Uninstall Virusdefense.info and related software from Windows
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:



Step 3: Clean any registries, created by Virusdefense.info on your computer.
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 Virusdefense.info there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:



Before starting "Step 4", please boot back into Normal mode, in case you are currently in Safe Mode.
This will enable you to install and use SpyHunter 5 successfully.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Get rid of Virusdefense.info from Mac OS X.
Step 1: Uninstall Virusdefense.info and remove related files and objects
1. Hit the ⇧+⌘+U keys to open Utilities. Another way is to click on “Go” and then click “Utilities”, like the image below shows:
- 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 Virusdefense.info 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 Virusdefense.info files from your Mac
When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as Virusdefense.info, 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.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Remove Virusdefense.info 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.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Erase Virusdefense.info 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.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Uninstall Virusdefense.info 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.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Remove Virusdefense.info 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 Virusdefense.info will be removed.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Eliminate Virusdefense.info 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.