'All Access To This Device Has Been Revoked' Technical Support Scam

The 'All Access To This Device Has Been Revoked' technical support scam is an elaborate and fraudulent scheme, which is carried out with the assistance of a corrupted file, which upon execution will lock users out of their computers. In the cybersecurity field, software that does this without additional harmful actions is dubbed a screen locker – a tool that prevents the users from accessing their desktop and other applications. The screen locker contains the default Windows 10 wallpaper accompanied by a snippet of text, which tells the user that Microsoft has detected suspicious activity on the computer, and access to the device has been blocked. Beneath the text is a phone number that the victims should call to get in touch with a Microsoft technician that can provide them with the unlock key. If you haven't figured it out already, none of this is true, and it is a tactic whose purpose is to convince users to contact the crooks via phone. Whoever makes the mistake of calling 888-879-0163 (the number used by the screen locker) might be bombarded with fake information and warnings regarding their computer's health and safety.

The cybercrooks provide their victims with additional fake information because this can help to convince them that they need to take action immediately to avoid having their computers damaged or data collected. However, the cybercrooks will offer a solution that is quite pricy – paying for an expensive service or software that does not really exist. You should never trust browser pop-ups or dubious applications that tell you that you need to contact a technical support team affiliated with Microsoft or another big name in the IT field. These companies would never promote their services via such methods, and if you need to contact them, you should always use the contact details published on their official website.

The good news is that the 'All Access To This Device Has Been Revoked' technical support scam does not use a complex and secure screen locker. The unlock key it asks for is hardcoded so that it is the same for all victims – 8716098676562789. All you need to do if you are being bothered by this screen locker is to enter the code above, and you should be able to use your computer again. It is recommended to run a credible anti-malware tool to ensure that the screen locker will be removed and it did not bring additional threats with it.