Win Erx03 | What It Is, Why It Appears and How to Remove It

El «Win Erx03» is a browser-based scam that displays fake error messages to trick you into installing potentially unwanted programs on your computer.

“Win Erx03” fake error messages are displayed in such a way that they trick the user into believing that their computer has crashed or that a virus has been detected on the computer. It does this to try to scare you into downloading potentially unwanted programs.

This is the message from the “Win ​​Erx03” pop-up window:

The Firewall of Windows has detected that you have not updated your Windows system. It remains corrupted and vulnerable. ** Please do not leave this page until you have updated your system software. **

If you click the “Accept” button, instead of installing an update, you will agree to download adware, browser hijackers, or malicious browser extensions to your computer.

What is Win Erx03?

Win Erx03 is a term coined by cybercriminals that designates a Massive tech support scam campaign targets numerous Windows users worldwide. The idea is to scare the victim into believing that their operating system is corrupted and system files are at risk.

This deception, in turn, is supposed to encourage the user to apply a software "update" that is nothing more than malware disguised. This technique is not new; in fact, there are numerous simultaneous scams in the wild that simply use different wording and different scare tactics, but they all rely on a similar underlying principle. It all boils down to a virus that hijacks the Web navigator of one and iteratively activates a script redirection.

Adware

Adware are malicious programs that are included with other free software that is downloaded from the Internet to our PC. The problem is that many of these downloads Freeware programs do not inform you that other software will also be installed so it is quite possible that adware will be installed without your knowledge. Once an adware program is installed on your computer, whenever you browse the Internet, you will be presented with random fake error messages.

Here are some typical signs that you have adware on your system:

• You will see ads appear in places where they shouldn't be.
• Your web browser's home page will mysteriously change without your permission.
• Web pages you normally visit may not display correctly.
• Many website links will redirect you to different sites than you expected.
• You will see pop-ups in your browser recommending fake updates or other software.
• It is very likely that other unwanted programs are installed without your knowledge.

Browser hijackers

The software group to which Win Erx03 belongs is known as browser hijackers. In general, these are applications and software components that seemingly work similarly to regular browser add-ons, with the main difference being that hijackers are usually unwanted and more or less useless or of low quality.

Therefore, it is usually best to get rid of such software, as you would usually not gain anything beneficial from its presence on your computer. Instructions on how you can quickly uninstall and remove this adware have been posted below for any of you who might need them. Other problems related to browser hijacker applications

What causes Win Erx03 on your PC?

Typically, the main problem that most users have with this type of software is that tends to be really invasive and obstructiveHowever, there is another, even bigger problem with software components like Win Erx03 that we need to point out here.

Despite not being real malware like Trojans, spyware, ransomware and worms, Hijackers are still not the safest pieces of software you could have on your computer..

The main reason for this is the uncontrolled nature of their ad generation. Many of the ads you see and page redirects you are likely to experience can be unreliable, unsafe, and even dangerous.

As you probably already know, many online ads and offers are not really what they seem in the sense that they may advertise some product or site, but they actually redirect you to another web location that is not really what you wanted to visit.

Sometimes this could come to redirect you to sites and pages with suspicious content or even those used for malware distribution of threats like spyware, rootkits, ransomware and other similar harmful viruses.

The best thing you can do to avoid landing on such sketchy online locations would be to remove the hijacker and thus suspend its ad-generating services.

As we already mentioned, the guide and removal tool on this page might help you do that, so make sure to try them out if you currently have Win Erx03 on your computer.

How to remove Win Erx03 from Windows

Depending on the version of the operating system you have, the steps may be different:

Windows 7

• Click Start, then select "Control Panel".
• When the “Control Panel” appears, click on "Uninstall a program" from the Programs category.
• Screen will appear "Programs and characteristics" with a list of all the programs installed on your PC.
• Scroll down the list until you find the malicious program, then click to highlight it, and click the button "Uninstall" that appears in the top toolbar.
• In the next message box, confirm the uninstallation process by clicking Yes, then follow the instructions to uninstall the program.
• Make sure you read all instructions carefully, because some malware tries to sneak in in the hopes that you won't read them carefully.

Windows 8

• Right-click the Windows Start button in the lower-left corner and select "Programs and characteristics". This will take you directly to your list of installed programs.
• The “Programs and Features” screen will appear with a list of all the programs installed on your PC. Go through the list until you find the malicious program.
• Click to highlight it, then click the button "Uninstall" that appears in the top toolbar.
• In the next message box, confirm the uninstallation process by clicking Yes, then follow the instructions to uninstall the program.

Windows 10

• From the Windows Start button menu, type Control Panel in the search box and select "Control Panel" in the results.
• When the “Control Panel” window opens, click on the option "Uninstall a program" in the “Programs” category.
• Screen will appear "Programs and characteristics" with a list of all the programs installed on your PC. Scroll down the list until you find the malicious program, then click to highlight it
• Click on the "Uninstall" that appears in the top toolbar.
• In the next message box, confirm the uninstallation process by clicking Yes, then follow the instructions to uninstall the program.

Restore browser settings

In the circumstances of a complex browser hijacking like this, performing a reset makes the most sense despite some obvious disadvantages. Customizations like saved passwords, bookmarked pages, etc. will be gone, but so will all changes made by the potentially unwanted program. The instructions below address the workflow for the web browsers most commonly targeted by this virus.

Reset Google Chrome

• Open Chrome, expand the Customize and control menu Google Chrome and choose Configuration
• Scroll down the settings screen and click on Advanced on the bottom
• Go to the subsection Reset and clean and select the option that says Restore settings to their original default values
• Finally, confirm the restore by clicking on Reset Settings in the warning message
• Restart Chrome.

Reset Mozilla Firefox

• Open Firefox, type about:support in the URL area and press Enter. Alternatively, you can click the Open menu icon at the top right of the browser window, then select the Help option and continue with Troubleshooting Information
• On the troubleshooting information screen, locate the button Update Firefox and click on it
• Follow the instructions below to reset Firefox to its original settings.
• Restart the browser.

Reset Internet Explorer

• Select Internet options in the tools. IE (Alt + X)
• Continue clicking on the tab Advanced, then select Resetting
• To confirm the planned changes, click Resetting on the Reset Settings screen
• Internet Explorer after checking that the Delete personal settings check box is enabled
• Please reboot the machine to fully implement the fix.

Reset Edge

• Open the menu Configuration by clicking on the three horizontal dots in the top right corner of the Edge window and select Settings.
• En Clear browsing data, Click on Choose what to delete and then click Show more. There are many types of data here. Select them all and click Delete.
• Restart your PC and reopen Edge.

Uninstall Win Erx03 with another program

If the steps above were not enough to remove Win Erx03 from your system, you can try using an antivirus or antimalware tool. What these programs do is scan your computer for viruses, malware or adware and remove them.

We recommend that you read our recommendations about the best antimalware from the market and choose the one that suits your needs.

Final words

Win Erx03 can be an absolute nuisance with its continuous ads and redirects, however, this is not the only danger that having it on your system can pose. These types of browser hijackers can lead hackers to find a way to your personal information and put your privacy at risk.

This is why we recommend that if you find Win Erx03 on your system, you take all necessary steps to remove it immediately from your computer to minimize the potential damage it can cause.