Advice Request Hacked or Paranoia?

[Ink]

Occasionally you will read posts regarding getting hacked, or a hacker in my phone, they are watching me etc. The poster is convinced they are constantly getting "hacked", settings are changing, receiving auth codes, apps wanting x, y, z permissions, router blocking IPs... the list goes on.

Are these real, or a health condition?

 

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

And a third option, just having some fun and getting attention on the internet.

Personally, I got a warning from Emsisoft Anti-Malware when connecting to the wifi at a friend house.
That friend came out a bad divorce with her ex-husband who worked in IT.
I had Emsisoft support check my laptop, but everything turned out fine, but I was glad I got a waning from Emsisoft.
That friend got a new router from her ISP and all her passwords were changed, but there was something dubious going on there.

Posts from a stranger on the internet are always difficult to judge but it never hurts to get a second opinion from a malware removal expert.
So, it still could be one of those (now) three reasons

I hope this forum keeps on contributing to a safer internet by discussing members security configs, posting security news, updates and providing malware removal assistance

 

[TairikuOkami]

The poster is convinced they are constantly getting "hacked", settings are changing, receiving auth codes, apps wanting x, y, z permissions, router blocking IPs... the list goes on.

It sounds like a normal Windows behavior, the same goes for a phone, when certain apps are installed.
Some people are like, he wants to get me I am being attacked by hundreds of IPs a minute (unsolicited traffic).
Security software acts as scareware in order to sell its product, but when an user sees something, he gets worried.

Then again some people might be a target, one said, he switched dozens of phones a year in order to avoid hacking.
But they are like flies bumping into a window. If something does not work, change a security strategy, use 2FA, etc.
If they just use the same account, but forget to disable old authorized devices ... That reminds me, time to log out.

 

[roger_m]

It's usually paranoia. Someone at Wilders thought they had been hacked, because when pressing some letter keys on their keyboard, numbers were showing. I told them that Num Lock was on. I then had to explain to them that, no, a hacker would not hack into their computer and turn on Num Lock just to taunt them and that there would be some more reasonable explanation. Someone else thought that if a computer gets infected that you need to throw it away.

If only I was making this up...

 

[mlnevese]

Don't forget plain ignorance as one of the explanations. I have seem people who thought they were hacked/infected because Bitdefender had downloaded a file called emalware.xxx, I forget the number now, and they wanted to know if it was bad.

Now this person thinks their protection suite downloading an update is a sign of infection... I don't even know what to comment....

 

[TairikuOkami]

Now this person thinks their protection suit downloading an update is a sign of infection... I don't even know what to comment....

But you have to appreciate theirs security awareness. Some will get the warning, your files have been encrypted, respond within 24 hours! They close the message and open FB.

 

[show-Zi]

Paranoia is looking for an argumentative partner, not a solution. When they get carried away, they start bragging about their knowledge.
I have actually experienced many cases where my advice has become a trigger for their bragging.

 

[Digmor Crusher]

The longer they ramble on the more likely its paranoia.

 

[blackice]

Don't forget plain ignorance as one of the explanations. I have seem people who thought they were hacked/infected because Bitdefender had downloaded a file called emalware.xxx, I forget the number now, and they wanted to know if it was bad.

Now this person thinks their protection suit downloading an update is a sign of infection... I don't even know what to comment....

The Bitdefender subreddit regularly has people freaking out about the update file names.

 

[shmu26]

The false paranoia I most often encounter among people I know is that every time something doesn't work right on their computer, they attribute it to a virus. Perhaps this is thinking from 20 years ago, when prank viruses were common, or maybe it is just a confusion between "bug" and "virus".

 

[rndmblk]

It must be hard to provide assistance, especially outside a corporate environment when everything should be configured basically the same. There could be a virus/malware, there could be another PC issue (eg. driver incompatible), there could be a problem with the user's expectations or there could be nothing at all.

I had a colleague who was certain someone was mining bitcoin on his PC. It turns out that his SSD was disconnecting and reconnecting hundreds of times per day due to a fault. Replacing that made the performance a lot more consistent and he had no more concerns about mining

 

[Stopspying]

It's usually paranoia. Someone at Wilders thought they had been hacked, because when pressing some letter keys on their keyboard, numbers were showing. I told them that Num Lock was on. I then had to explain to them that, no, a hacker would not hack into their computer and turn on Num Lock just to taunt them and that there would be some more reasonable explanation. Someone else thought that if a computer gets infected that you need to throw it away.

If only I was making this up...

Aren't you?!

 

[mlnevese]

Aren't you?!

He was the hacker...

 

[blackice]

It's usually paranoia. Someone at Wilders thought they had been hacked, because when pressing some letter keys on their keyboard, numbers were showing. I told them that Num Lock was on. I then had to explain to them that, no, a hacker would not hack into their computer and turn on Num Lock just to taunt them and that there would be some more reasonable explanation. Someone else thought that if a computer gets infected that you need to throw it away.

If only I was making this up...

I followed that thread, it’s sadly true…

 

[plat]

The longer they ramble on the more likely its paranoia.

You know something? This cracks me up. Prob. because it was unintentionally funny, not to mention: true.

 

[roger_m]

Aren't you?!

Nah, here's a link to the NumLock thread.

malware that passes thru security

Hi, I think I am infected with something. It got past BitDefender GravityZone, Sandboxie and OSAmror. And it changed the character mapping of my...

www.wilderssecurity.com

He was the hacker...

Don't tell everyone Next week I'm going to randomly turn on Caps Lock

 

[Templarware]

Nah, here's a link to the NumLock thread.

malware that passes thru security

Hi, I think I am infected with something. It got past BitDefender GravityZone, Sandboxie and OSAmror. And it changed the character mapping of my...

www.wilderssecurity.com

Don't tell everyone Next week I'm going to randomly turn on Caps Lock

How does pressing NumLock turn the "u" into "4"?

 

[roger_m]

How does pressing NumLock turn the "u" into "4"?

It does this on models of laptops which don't have a separate numeric keypad. These laptops have the numbers printed on these keys as well as the letters.

 

[Nightwalker]

It's usually paranoia. Someone at Wilders thought they had been hacked, because when pressing some letter keys on their keyboard, numbers were showing. I told them that Num Lock was on. I then had to explain to them that, no, a hacker would not hack into their computer and turn on Num Lock just to taunt them and that there would be some more reasonable explanation. Someone else thought that if a computer gets infected that you need to throw it away.

If only I was making this up...

I remember seeing this thread, it was one of the most embarrassing things I've ever read on a forum, it wasn't because of Num Lock incident itself, but because even after your explanation was enough to solve the "problem" he continued with delusions imagining various scenarios and possible "hacker" attacks and even supposed foreign interference.

It's so absurd that it's no longer funny, it's just pathetic.

 

[Digmor Crusher]

I've seen 2 or 3 on either on Bleepin Computer or Windows 10 forums that would put the Wilders one to shame. Maybe I might post on here, will blow your guys mind.