Spam notifications are not uncommon on computers, tablets, smartphones, and now Microsoft's Xbox consoles.
Remove Fake Virus Pop-ups and How You Got Them
A recent post on the r/xboxone sub-Reddit titled “How do you stop these pop-ups?” featured a screenshot of a spam notification on an Xbox One. The poster isn’t alone. Another recent post on r/MicrosoftEdge complained about virus protection notifications appearing on an Xbox. A user on r/Xbox reported the same issue . The notifications are just another avenue for spam that could be a headache for Xbox owners.
"Cybercriminals are always trying to profit from popular sources of entertainment, including gaming," Boris Larin, a security researcher at Kaspersky, said in an email. "Users are highly susceptible to phishing attacks or clicking on malicious links when it comes to games, whether they are looking for cheats and pirated versions, or receive a legitimate-looking message via video game/console instant messenger."
I was able to reproduce spam notifications on my Xbox Series X. A search for Minecraft skins led to several websites asking me to opt in to notifications in exchange for skins, prizes, or to run an antivirus check. The notifications, with icons and text defined by the website, started appearing on my Xbox even when I wasn’t using the Edge app.
