Quick Tip: Closing pop-ups the safe way

Confronting a pop-up is one of those times when your gut reaction might lead you down the path of frustration and tears. If the "X" is spring-loaded with malware, anywhere you click on the pop-up could trigger that virus.

This is the path less traveled--the majority of pop-ups truly are the ads they appear to be--but when a pop-up does deliver malware, undoing the damage could be a tense, jittery journey. We get enough panicky Spyware Horror Story submissions to know that so-called button flips and booby-trapped Close buttons continue to deliver malicious payloads.

So what is the best practice for closing a pop-up? CNET Executive Editor Tom Merritt demonstrates in this Quick Tip video.

[gcasanova]

Fortunately I've always done what you suggest, but as an extra security measure, after running with one of those dubious popups, I run a cleaner program such as CCleaner, Privacy Eraser Pro, etc.
Also, people complain about malware, spyware, etc. yet they use cracked anti-spywares, ant-viruses, firewalls. My recomendation: DON'T use cracked or pirated software. There are plenty of freeware, good quality software. There's no need to get a pirated Norton Anti-whatever and later complain because your pc is infected.

[richjoymigueh]

can i use alt+f4 instead of opening my task manager?

[pboudreaux]

Clicking END TASK to close ONE browser window will usually close ALL browser windows (if I'm not mistaken) so you should bookmark any websites to which you want to easily return before you do the End Task on the nasty one to dispatch the malware to the netherworld.

[petepal55]

why not just rt clk and delete using the taskbar?

[zverver]

Absolutely richjoy. Alt/F4 is probably the superior way of closing the pop-ups. Just remember that will close your ACTIVE window and make sure the pop-up is the active window. Another way of reaching the Windows Task Manager is Ctrl/Alt/Del (only once).
CNET, nice job bringing these dirty pop-ups to attention.

[ClissaT]

Exactly what does the quick tip video demonstrate? On my dial up it will take 1hr30mins to load!!! I don't have that much band time to devote to loading a video!

[cerulean-]

Using Task Manager to close the pop-up window will result in all of your IE windows to be closed. I usually just right-click and close the window in question (though I'm not sure if that's the best way).

[sufyanU]

another best product.

[JTHunter]

What about using "CTRL-W" on a Windows PC to close a pop-up? On more than one occassion on a 98 PC, I've had multiple pop-ups. As I was still on dial-up, it took many seconds for them to load and I just kept hitting CTRL-W as fast as they opened up. They finally closed as i could close them faster than they could load the next window. *WEG*

[ddscoopd6]

Thanks for the info on closing pop ups i didn't know how to close them correctly