A user reports seeing random, seemingly non-malicious advertisement notifications in the Windows 10 Action Center. The notifications indicate the advertisements are coming from a web browser. Which of the following is the BEST solution for a technician to implement?
The user is experiencing random advertisement notifications in the Action Center that are coming from a web browser. Disabling the browser from sending notifications to the Action Center is the best solution because it directly addresses the source of the issue. The advertisements are seen in the Action Center because the browser is configured to send notifications there. By disabling this feature, the user will no longer receive these advertisement notifications. This approach is more efficient than running an antivirus scan, which might not address the specific issue of browser notifications, or disabling all Action Center notifications, which could suppress important alerts from other applications.
The answer is B because the scenario being described in clearly adware. Therefore, the only way to truly mitigate the issue would be to run a full antivirus scan.
It's A. The ad doesn't seem malicous and most certainly is not a virus. It is coming from the browser, running a scan may detect something but will not block it. D could be correct but there is no specific site, A would be easier to block all browser notifications going into action centre.
Notifications from a web browser are not adware. Adware by definition is software designed to advertise. There is no software being installed, no performance issues related to the notifications, and the scenario clearly says it is not malicious. If you had notifications from your browser appear on your notification center, sensibly the first thing you would do is disable the notifications.
It also says "seemingly" before non-malicious. Therefore the BEST solution is to Run a full antivirus scan on the computer.
It said non-malicious
seemingly non-malicious
But here it doesn't say if the USER is trained or not, so we have no idea. The best option is B. Running the antivirus scan.
**A**. The most effective solution for the technician to implement in this scenario is to disable the browser’s capability to send notifications to the Windows 10 Action Center. By doing so, the unwanted advertisement notifications originating from the browser will no longer appear within the Action Center, providing relief to the user. This solution directly targets the source of the notifications, ensuring a focused resolution.
B. Run a full antivirus scan on the computer would be the best solution for a technician to implement in this case. While the advertisements may not appear malicious, they could potentially be part of an adware or spyware program that is running on the computer. Running a full antivirus scan can help detect and remove any malicious software that may be causing the unwanted notifications. Disabling the browser from sending notifications, disabling all Action Center notifications, or moving specific site notifications from Allowed to Block may not address the underlying issue of a potential malware infection.
Dealt with this issue last week. The user had simply clicked "allow notifications" on a site they shouldn't have, so I followed option d to solve. Adware is software designed to give you ads, your browser is not that. If the ads were pop up windows then it would be symptomatic, but the browser delivers any notification to your action centre. I chose D, as there is still a chance the user has browser notifications for legitimate sites. (I gave a full scan to be safe, and nothing came up. Understandably these ad notifications do come from dodgy websites, but Comptia's step one to the process is "Investigate and verify malware symptoms" of which browser notifications are not.)
Move specific site notifications from Allowed to Block.
Option D, on the other hand, addresses the problem directly. Many web browsers allow users to manage site notifications. By moving notifications from specific websites that are displaying unwanted advertisements from "Allowed" to "Block," you can prevent these sites from sending notifications to the Action Center, effectively stopping the unwanted advertisements without affecting other notifications or legitimate website notifications. This is a more precise and user-friendly approach to addressing the issue.
This is the best way.
D. Move specific site notifications from Allowed to Block.
D. Move specific site notifications from Allowed to Block. These notifications are likely coming from websites that the user has granted permission to show notifications. By moving specific site notifications from "Allowed" to "Block," the technician can prevent unwanted notifications from websites that the user does not wish to receive notifications from. This solution addresses the issue at its source without affecting other Action Center notifications or disabling all notifications (Options A and C). Running a full antivirus scan (Option B) is a good practice but may not be directly related to this specific issue unless there is suspicion of malware
Option D, on the other hand, addresses the problem directly. Many web browsers allow users to manage site notifications. By moving notifications from specific websites that are displaying unwanted advertisements from "Allowed" to "Block," you can prevent these sites from sending notifications to the Action Center, effectively stopping the unwanted advertisements without affecting other notifications or legitimate website notifications. This is a more precise and user-friendly approach to addressing the issue.
The word 'RANDOM' gives the impression of Adware, all in all, running a virus scan if a first legit first step in this situation (my opinion).
all in all, running a virus scan is a first legit step in this situation (my opinion).
This approach targets the root cause of the issue by preventing the web browser from sending any notifications to the Action Center. This will stop the random advertisement notifications without disabling other important notifications from the Action Center or having to identify and block specific sites individually. Running a full antivirus scan is also important for general security, but it may not directly address the specific issue of browser notifications.
Why are some of you selecting D??? Blocking notifications does not resolve the adware issue lol.
Adware is software designed to give you ads, your browser is not that. If the ads were pop up windows then it would be symptomatic, but the browser delivers any notification to your action centre. I chose D, as there is still a chance the user has browser notifications for legitimate sites.
The BEST solution for a technician to implement is to run a full antivirus scan on the computer to detect and remove any potentially unwanted programs or malware that may be causing the unwanted advertisements in the Windows 10 Action Center
This won't stop the notifications though. This issue occurs when a website has permissions to send notifications to Windows through the browser.
ANSWER B clearly adware.
Options A and C are more general approaches that may have unintended consequences, such as blocking notifications from all websites or disabling the Action Center notifications entirely, which may not be necessary and could impact the user's overall experience. Option B, running a full antivirus scan, is a good practice for overall system security but is less likely to address this specific issue, as these notifications are not necessarily indicative of a malware infection. Addressing the issue at the browser level (Option D) is a more targeted and appropriate solution in this context.
Run a scan
These ads are not malicious: they mostly come from users inadvertently allowing notifications from browsers. If you disable *all"* notifications, then you lose this functionality. If one site is sending ads, then its most efficient to simply block that site in your browser settings.