So I got hacked

[clark_conure]

A company got hacked so someone got my main email password, I stayed away from accounts for a bit even this one. I wanted to see which ones got hacked.

The demand email was do not reload your operating systems....do not notify law enforcement... do not etc. etc.

So I immediately reformatted my drive and reloaded the OS and etc. etc. I did see a user, not me had access to like Microsoft edge. So yep reformat. DO NOT NEGOTIATE WITH TERRORISTS!

ALSO Don't use edge.....anyways...

I wasn't using it but he exploited it. I use opera. But when I logged on with network disabled there was like 5 instances of that running anyways.

The good part is part of the email is I have all you files NOW! But he only got on my gaming laptop, not my real laptop so uhhhmmmm you got a lot of pictures of birds, LOL enjoy. If you see my flock for sale, feel free to report.

I got a lot of scam emails like change your uber password. Ummmmmm I have a truck and a car and 2 boats and a motorcycle I've never had an uber account ever.

Be safe out there.

I stayed off for about a month or two I think I'm good now.

Change passwords and put them on paper.
Also all the flock good.

 

[HeatherG]

Crud. I got hacked once and got a bad virus. I had a friend convert my system to Linux since it’s safer.

But since I haven’t used Linux in a few years I doubt I would remember how. It was fine at the time, though.

 

[SailBoat]

Buy and install high-end antivirus /malware software and set it to a high-level. Run the scans or set them to auto!
Yes, obtaining your information from a company is happening and ever more often, Sadly, having one's stuff-out on the Web is near common-place.
Limit what you have and do on your computer and activity clear your search files multiple times during your use.
Contact one of the Mods here on Parrot Forum and they will help you change your password.

 

[Kentuckienne]

The best suggestions I have:
1. Use a password manager like NordPass to remember and encrypt all your passwords. The passwords are not stored at NordPass, they are kept on your machine but encrypted so even if someone steals the machine they can’t get the passwords without knowing the master NordPass password. There are other password manager programs to choose from. Dashlane is great but expensirve…1Password is also good.
2. Turn on two-factor authentication for important accounts, which keeps someone from logging onto your accounts from a different machine. What people do is get one of your email passwords, then use that to change passwords on your other accounts. Two factor authentication will at least alert you and maybe save you.
3. Use a VPN program when on public wifi. I love NordVPN. Have used it all over the world. It connects you to the internet through an encrypted server, so anyone sitting in a shop with a packet sniffer or other capture equipment won’t get any of your data.
4. BACK UP YOUR COMPUTERS. I recommend three copies: two local and one offsite. I back up to external drives. I have a Mac, so I make bootable backups using Super Duper! by Shirt Pocket Software, along with a Time Machine backup. Then I make regular backups to the cloud using Backblaze. This way, if the house burns down with the backup drives and computer inside, I don’t lose everything. Some backup software lets you go back in time to find a copy of your files from before the infection happened. Because if your backup has malware in it….
5. The Mac operating system is more secure than Windows, because it’s based on Unix and restricts access to important files with permissions. But some malware can remain on the hard drive, even after a low-level format. It can get into the deep guts. Hard drives are fairly cheap right now, and if I had a confirmed hack I think I’d buy a new drive, install a fresh copy of the OS, and then restore a known safe backup. .