Something's wrong right now

If a pop-up, an email or a strange charge has you worried, start here. These guides walk through exactly what to check and what to do, in order, without assuming you're a technical person.

• A pop-up says your computer is infected. Is it real?How to tell a fake virus warning from a real one, how to close it safely, and what to do if you already called the number.
• Clicked a suspicious link or typed your password? What to do nowA calm checklist for the first hour after a phishing message, based on what you actually did: just clicked, entered a password, or shared card or ID details.
• How to stop pop-ups, notification spam and browser hijackersStep-by-step fixes for Chrome, Edge, Safari and Firefox: block spammy site notifications, remove unwanted extensions, and undo a hijacked homepage or search engine.
• How to run a full scan and an offline scan with Windows SecurityUse the free antivirus already built into Windows 10 and 11: check it's switched on, run a full scan, and use the offline scan for stubborn threats.
• Got a data breach notice? Here's exactly what to doA company just told you your information was exposed. Here's what the letter actually means, and the specific steps to take depending on what was leaked.