How to Tell if You’ve Gotten Hacked… Being hacked is the single biggest fear of most computer users. Many believe the first sign of strange behavior or errors on their PC is a sign hackers have taken control. But are hackers really inside your machine, stealing your information? Or should we be on the lookout for more subtle signs? What does being hacked really look like?
There is an important distinction to make between being hacked by a person and being infected with a virus or malware. Virus software and malware are automated processes designed to damage your system, steal your data, or both. There are of course ways that we can defeat these processes, but what if we are instead hacked by an individual?
Logins not working
One of the first steps a hacker might take would be to change the computers passwords. By doing so, not only do they ensure future access to the account, they prevent you from accessing the system to stop them. For the hacker, this is a crucial step that keeps them in control. With this in mind, we always want to make sure to keep on top of our own login details and how often we change them.
Security Emails or SMS’s from online services
Many services track which device and location you logged into your account from last. If your account is accessed from a new device or a different country it might trigger an automated email or SMS to ask if this new login is your own.
If you have logged in using a new computer, tablet, or phone; an email that asks “hey, is this you?” need not be cause for alarm. If you haven’t, it may be time to investigate further. This service is an important part of information security. It may be a key first step to identify someone else gaining access to your account.
Bank accounts missing money or strange transactions
Most commonly today, hackers commit crimes to steal money. The end goal for hackers is typically to profit from their crimes by taking money from people online.
It always pays to keep a regular eye on your financial transactions to make sure you know what money is coming and going from your account.
You may see a large sum missing where hackers have attempted to take as much as they can in a single transaction.
Alternatively small, hard to notice transactions may appear. These often account for small purchases where attackers have tested the details they have to make sure they work.
Sudden loss of cellular connectivity
Network interruption is a symptom that few people expect but occurs commonly when hackers attack. Many banks and online services use a security feature known as Two-factor authentication. To do this they send a short code to your phone or app when you log in. Two-factor authentication is ideal in most cases and a great boost to security.
Hackers can try to work around this by calling your mobile service provider to report your phone as lost or stolen. During this call, they will request your phone number be transferred to a new sim card that they control. When your bank sends its regular two-factor authentication code to the number registered, it goes instead to the hacker who may be able to log in. From your perspective phone service will simply stop working.
Keeping vigilant and maintaining security
These are only some of the modern techniques that hackers can try to use to gain access to your accounts. It pays to be extra vigilant and pay close attention to the signs and signals that indicate you may have been hacked.
Check out our partner links for more helpful information:
If you suspect that you might have been hacked, or would like help to prevent hackers in future, give us a call at (651) 456-8655 or visit our contact page HERE and we’ll improve your security.
These scammers want access to your computer and they’ll do anything to get it!
Chances are, you’ve probably received a random phone call from one of these demanding scammers. Either they’ll call you randomly or you will stumble upon one of their realistic pop-up warnings notifying you that your computer has been infected or hacked and to call Microsoft Technical Support immediately. The problem is, the number they provide is not Microsoft’s. Once you’re on the phone with the scammer, he or she will likely be of East Indian descent. They will direct you to a website to gain remote access to your PC and once they are in, they will run a bunch of bogus tests likely through a DOS prompt to try and get you to believe that your IP/Ports are being accessed by a hacker. This is completely bogus information! These scammers are expertly trained in deploying scare tactics to try to scam you out of your hard-earned money. And they don’t take “No” for an answer. These clowns have even been known to swear at you over the phone before hanging up on you. I, as owner of Twin Cities PC Repair, even received a call from one of these scammers. Now, being that I’m well educated on cyber scams, I decided to play their game for awhile… After wasting 45 minutes of their time listening to the spiel and playing along with it, when they asked me for my credit card so that they may install their software to clean my PC, I told them that I am a IT business owner!! I won’t even repeat what they said to me (LOL) because of its profanity.
What should you do?
The best thing to do if you receive a call out of the blue from one of the Microsoft Support Scammers would be to hang up on them. Chances are they might call you back, and if they do, you can simply call them out on their scam and let them know that you are calling your state and local authorities.
If you happen to stumble upon a website with their realistic and scary looking pop-up, you can do one of four things:
1.) If you can get to the (X) at the top right corner of your browser, simply close out of all browser windows.
2.) If you can’t close your browser windows, you can try rebooting your PC through the start menu.
3.) If you can’t click on your start menu, you can try clicking Ctrl+Alt+Del, click on Task Manager, click on the browser listed and click the End Task at the lower right corner of the dialog box. This will force close your browser.
4.) If none of the above work for you, simply hold the power button down on your PC for 10 seconds. This will force a hard shutdown of your PC. Boot your PC back up and you should be good to go.
As with any pop-up page on the web, there is always a chance that the website might be infected with malware. Always make sure to run a virus/malware scan afterwards with a reputable virus/malware scanner (Preferably on you subscribe to). If you are in need of a reliable antivirus software, please visit our security services page HERE.
Will it ever end?!?
According to Microsoft, from approximately November 2013 through 2016, Client Care Experts victimized over 40,000 people and defrauded these individuals out of more than $25,000,000!! So, what’s being done about these frauds? The FTC is on it! They recently teamed up with the State of Alabama and settled with a handful of technical support companies who were using their scams to impersonate major tech companies such as Apple and Microsoft. A few suspect companies include:
We certainly don’t anticipate these scams ending anytime soon, in fact, they’re growing by the day and they’re finding new and innovative ways to try to con you into believing your personal information is in danger. The best thing to do is to educate yourself on trending scams. Twin Cities PC Repair is constantly investigating a multitude of current scams, so feel free to call us at (651) 456-8655 or send us a message through our contact form HERE if you have any suspicions. We are more than happy to help you! Also, make sure to subscribe to our mailing list below for important news and updates.
Please keep in mind, if you have fallen victim to one of these tech support scams, Twin Cities PC Repair is unable to assist in the recovery of any funds taken from your bank account by the scammer. Please contact your bank or credit card issuer immediately.
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