I Think I Have A Hacker and my internet privacy is being invaded

[BlueLioness]

I think I have a hacker and my internet privacy is being invaded.

I am thinking this because things are starting to happen on my computer and I'm not the one doing it.

For instance, a window opens on its own.

My computer shuts off and I didn't do it.

It kind of makes me angry to think that there is someone else watching
my every move -- its an invasion of my privacy.

Seriously, I'm not ok with it.

I need it to stop.

My wish is to be online and have nobody know about it.

So I need help with getting rid of hackers and potential spies.

Any advice?

 

[C-Man]

Here are a few steps to take:
1) Use another computer to download the Avast Antivirus Free Edition installer to a flash drive if you can.

2) Reboot your computer into Safe Mode by pressing F8 a bunch of times right before the "Starting Windows" logo appears.

3) Install it on your computer. (If it doesn't want to install in Safe Mode, unplug your internet connection and start it in normal mode.) Run a Full Scan to clean out any viruses or trojans a hacker may be using to compromise your system. It'll also automatically keep malicious code from running. This bit will take a while. Grab a snack.

4) Reboot into normal mode and run Windows Update and grab every high-priority update it lists.

5) Go to Start -> Run and put in "services.msc" without the quotes. Go down to "Remote Desktop Help Session Manager" and "Remote Registry". Right-click each one and go to Properties. Hit Stop and stop them, then change the "Startup Type" to "Disabled".

6) If all this works out, make sure you keep Windows updated. They release hotfixes now and then that close up various security holes.

I also don't recommend Internet Explorer...to anybody, or for anything. :3 Mozilla Firefox is much more secure, and it's faster anyway.

 

[korvus]

Honestly, your never going to be perfectly secure and private unless your very good at computers.

Ultimately, the ultimate weak link in any security system is the user. You have to make careful decisions on what you download and run on your computer, because there are some people that don't play any games.

 

[elytron]

Might be easier just to re-format the drive and re-install Windows, to start over. It's what has been recommended to me in the past. It's what I do. Once a PC is infected it's hard to remove everything and you can never be 100% sure. Make sure to backup your important files and documents first, if you decide to go that route. To some external drive or something.

 

[korvus]

Might be easier just to re-format the drive and re-install Windows, to start over. It's what has been recommended to me in the past. It's what I do. Once a PC is infected it's hard to remove everything and you can never be 100% sure.

If you wipe all the partitions of the drive, which there are many live cds that can do that easily, you ARE 100% sure.

 

[pgp_protector]

If you wipe all the partitions of the drive, which there are many live cds that can do that easily, you ARE 100% sure.

Well unless their BIOS also got infected.
(Though that doesn't happen often...yet....)
New BIOS Virus Withstands HDD Wipes

 

[korvus]

Well unless their BIOS also got infected.
(Though that doesn't happen often...yet....)
New BIOS Virus Withstands HDD Wipes

I though most BIOS are read-only?

You'd have to be running some insecure system that can allow such a thing to be written to.

 

[pgp_protector]

I though most BIOS are read-only?

You'd have to be running some insecure system that can allow such a thing to be written to.

Nope, most BIOS are writable via an EXE Program to Allow Updates to the BIOS.

Now I don't know of any BIOS Virus in the wild, but they have been done a a Proof of Concept.

The Newest Computers (Within the last few years) the BIOS are starting to have backups & virus checks, but older computers are vulnerable to this.

and given most Users run as Admin on Windows Systems, it's already a bit Insecure

 

[korvus]

Nope, most BIOS are writable via an EXE Program to Allow Updates to the BIOS.

Now I don't know of any BIOS Virus in the wild, but they have been done a a Proof of Concept.

The Newest Computers (Within the last few years) the BIOS are starting to have backups & virus checks, but older computers are vulnerable to this.

and given most Users run as Admin on Windows Systems, it's already a bit Insecure

Linux user?

 

[pgp_protector]

Linux user?

Both.
Linux for the servers & web development (except ASP Pages)
Windows for Gaming & General usage, and Work Software Development

 

[korvus]

Both.
Linux for the servers & web development (except ASP Pages)
Windows for Gaming & General usage, and Work Software Development

Agreed. I used to be quite the foss zealot, but the years of hardware/software companies refusing/being shaky on support, I concluded to myself that linux is an excellent hacker/enterprise tool than a desktop.

I have to admit that Microsoft has greatly cleaned up their act with Windows 8.

 

[BlueLioness]

I'm glad for the advice because I'm not that experienced at computers yet.

My sister, however, is a web designer and I did ask her about this last night and she told me that firewalls are only one type of defense against hackers.

And she looks at me and she says, "All you have is one firewall?" Your defense is weak."

And I told her and I said, "Well you know more about this than I do. I don't know what to do. Tell me what to do."

everything I do online is backed up offline on a heavy-duty removeable hard drive and removable flash drives, so I have the data preserved upstairs in my bedroom.

But before I choose an operating system, could you guys tell me which is the best one? I've been running Windows 7 so far, and for some reason I think it's not very effective against hackers? Who was it that suggested I use Firefox?

I am ready to reboot my operating system on my computer.

I don't really know how to do it so if you guys could give me instructions and tell me how to re-install my operating system, I'd do it right now.

 

[Mazzaroth]

I think I have a hacker and my internet privacy is being invaded.

I am thinking this because things are starting to happen on my computer and I'm not the one doing it.

For instance, a window opens on its own.

My computer shuts off and I didn't do it.

It kind of makes me angry to think that there is someone else watching
my every move -- its an invasion of my privacy.

Seriously, I'm not ok with it.

I need it to stop.

My wish is to be online and have nobody know about it.

So I need help with getting rid of hackers and potential spies.

Any advice?

See my post on computer security in this section. The programs I have listed should be very user-friendly and shouldn't be too difficult to install. Peerblock will greatly help block incoming connections. Also consider disabling remote assistance for whatever operating system you are using, which is used to control your computer from another computer via the internet.

 

[NiobiumTragedy]

Windows 7/8 are both fine. They both have a lot of security in them these days if you keep them updated. Going overboard with security programs can be just as bad because many of them will collide with each other and not work properly.

My question is what did you download that would have infected you?

 

[BlueLioness]

Windows 7/8 are both fine. They both have a lot of security in them these days if you keep them updated. Going overboard with security programs can be just as bad because many of them will collide with each other and not work properly.

My question is what did you download that would have infected you?

I don't know. Why don't other people care about my privacy? I am just another person, you know, like most people are...and I have feelings. Sometimes it hurts me, sometimes it makes me angry.

I mean, this is MY computer.

 

[korvus]

I don't know. Why don't other people care about my privacy? I am just another person, you know, like most people are...and I have feelings. Sometimes it hurts me, sometimes it makes me angry.

I mean, this is MY computer.

The moment you connect your computer to the internet via wifi/ethernet, you have NO privacy.

Your computer's still your computer, but you have to take precautions to keep it from being infected.

 

[EphesiaNZ]

Agreed. I used to be quite the foss zealot, but the years of hardware/software companies refusing/being shaky on support, I concluded to myself that linux is an excellent hacker/enterprise tool than a desktop.

Linux and BSD's make excellent desktops, I've used both for years and never had to fallback to Windows except for giving Win 7 and 8 a try for the sake of it. I believe in being listened to and respected as a user alas, Microsoft and their ilk stopped listening and respecting their users a long time ago.

I have to admit that Microsoft has greatly cleaned up their act with Windows 8.

Please inform us how?

 

[korvus]

Please inform us how?

It provides a clean interface that connects well with itself, everything user level appears nice an integrated and well thought-out.

Though I'm still a Linux user as Windows will never have a shell that's the undersurface of everything, where Windows looks like a mess with no single underlying interface; Just binary junk slung everywhere in an attempt to put a shell on the system.

 

[freezerman2000]

I'm thinking after a redo of windows,getting a good firewall.

 

[WaterTempleNoWalkthrough]

I think I have a hacker and my internet privacy is being invaded.

I am thinking this because things are starting to happen on my computer and I'm not the one doing it.

For instance, a window opens on its own.

My computer shuts off and I didn't do it.

It kind of makes me angry to think that there is someone else watching
my every move -- its an invasion of my privacy.

Seriously, I'm not ok with it.

I need it to stop.

My wish is to be online and have nobody know about it.

So I need help with getting rid of hackers and potential spies.

Any advice?

I don't think you're being hacked. Most viruses will either try to stay as hidden as possible to avoid detection or make themselves as apparent as possible to try and get money from you. Randomly opening windows and rebooting the computer isn't exactly flying under the radar.

If you reinstall your operating system you'll lose all of the information on your hard drive. Any pictures, documents, programs that you have on there will be erased.

Also, not to be condescending, but troubleshooting such a vague computer problem over a forum like this with someone of your skill level is almost impossible.

I think you should take it somewhere to be looked at before you reinstall your operating system.