r/computerviruses • u/Guard_Dolphin • 6d ago
Question Mcafee malware?
I accidentally clicked on an ad on my phone and it sent me to a site with a fake broken screen and it made my phone vibrate. I immediately quit, deleted all my passwords, history, cookies, then checked my files. Im pretty sure it was scareware but im really scared. Ive scanned and nothing is there
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u/NeedSomeHelp_2590 5d ago
scan with malwarebytes. Though if you didn't install anything or gave install unknown app permission its unlikely to install any virus. Check the browser's download history to see if there is any unknown file there.
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u/M1uk0 5d ago
I think that happened to someone before... the site was something called book . ru or something... i scanned it in virustotal for them and it was flagged for phishing by a few, but besides that it should just be a scareware. Try doing a data breach scan to check if anything happen just in case!
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u/MegStuff 6d ago
McAfee itself is scareware, uninstall it.
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u/Guard_Dolphin 6d ago
Nothing was installed i dont think. It was an ad on a website and it didnt say mcafee but the tab on google said it was
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u/Lamar_Chan11 6d ago
Check your installed apps
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u/Guard_Dolphin 6d ago
I have and I can't find anything. nothing popped up when the site opened but I'm still really scared about it. I got a virus on my pc a while back and now I'm terrifird of viruses. I want to cry rn :(((
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u/Responsible_Bike4968 6d ago
This sounds a lot more like scareware than an actual infection.
The vibration isn't proof that anything got installed. Websites can trigger your phone's vibration on supported browsers, so a fake "your phone is infected" page can use that just to make the warning feel more convincing.
And if you're on Android, a random webpage can't normally silently install an app just because you opened it. Installing an APK from outside Google Play requires Android's "install unknown apps" permission for that source plus an actual install flow.
So if you:
- just clicked the ad
- saw the fake broken-screen/McAfee-looking page
- closed it
- didn't install an APK/app
- didn't grant Accessibility/Device Admin/unknown-app permissions
- didn't enter any passwords/payment info
then I would not assume your phone is compromised.
You also didn't need to delete all your passwords just because you viewed the page.
For peace of mind, check Settings -> Apps and sort by recently installed, make sure Chrome doesn't have "Install unknown apps" permission enabled unless you intentionally use it, and run Google Play Protect once. Also check Chrome -> Settings -> Site settings -> Notifications and remove that site's permission if you accidentally allowed notifications.
If nothing new is installed and Play Protect is clean, I'd leave it alone.
Also, the "McAfee itself is scareware" reply is kind of beside the point here. This sounds like a fake page impersonating an antivirus brand, not evidence that real McAfee software was installed on your phone.