15. I keep getting pop-ups on certain web sites...

Internet browser "pop-ups" are usually small windows carrying advertising or prompting you to do something immediately, such as to check the computer for viruses, fix some issue to do with Internet  browsing, or visit gambling or pornography sites! They often use bright colours and animation to attract the eye, although some are designed to impersonate genuine messages from your computer (e.g. "WARNING!!! VIRUS ALERT!!!!! ")..

Pop-ups are also created by your Internet browser quite legitimately. These usually warn you about activities which may harm your computer, or that you are trying to do something your current security settings won't allow.

Some pop-ups are created normally by normal, safe browsing. For example on-line shops often show larger pictures of their goods in pop-up windows. The important thing here, though, is that you choose to view these pop-ups—they don't just happen by themselves.

Pop-ups from unwanted sources are often deceptive. Because web pages (essentially what pop-ups often are) can contain graphics, their designers can make them look like anything they wish, for example like legitimate error messages! It's also quite possible for someone with criminal intent to swap labels on buttons, so that OK and Cancel actually do the opposite of what they say!

Treat any unexpected pop-ups with extreme caution: clicking on them carelessly may result in unwanted components added to your computer or Internet browser, or in the worst case, malign software (viruses) being installed.

When pop-up windows appear, the key factor in deciding what to do is how much you trust the web site you're visiting at the time. Does the message make sense? Is it something you were expecting? If the web site you are visiting is an unknown site or seems suspicious, the safest thing is to decline whatever you are being asked to do. The safest way to do this is to close the pop-up window promptly, without clicking on anything within it.

You can almost always close a pop-up without clicking anything dangerous. Try these things, which are listed in order of how disruptive they are. 

1. try the Esc key (top left of the keyboard).
2. try Ctrl+F4 (which closes many types of window).
3. as a last resort, try Alt+F4. It will almost certainly close the window, but sometimes your browser too. This may cause you to lose anything you're working on in the browser at the time.

You can usually configure your Internet browser to filter out harmful pop-ups and adverts. In some browsers, for example Firefox, you can add-on applications that do this automatically.

For more information on these please contact our helpdesk.

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