I followed the first steps of a suspicious CAPTCHA prompt and opened the Windows Run box, but I did not press Enter. I’m worried the prompt may have copied a command to my clipboard. How can I clear it, and should I report the site?
How do I clear something suspicious from my Windows clipboard?
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bramblefax
Answers
Press Windows+V to open clipboard history. If history is on, remove the suspicious entry or use the clear option. Check for any pinned entries too. If history is off, copying harmless text, like the word “clear,” replaces the current clipboard contents.
You can close the Run box with Escape without running anything. Don’t paste the suspicious content into a terminal or command box to inspect it.
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If you never pressed Enter in Run, the text in that box was not executed through Run. Close it with Escape, then clear the clipboard using Windows+V. If you are unsure whether anything was pasted or run, tell your school’s IT staff what happened and ask them to check the page.
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One quick way to replace the current clipboard is to copy ordinary, harmless text from somewhere. If clipboard history is enabled, that may not remove older saved items, so open Windows+V and clear those separately. If clipboard syncing is enabled, check the history on any linked devices as well.
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oops!thimble:
Also mention that the page used a CAPTCHA prompt asking for keyboard steps. The school can investigate without you testing the instructions again.