Serious Discussion I am a target of persistent hacking, and I am looking for advice on how to overcome this

cybertrapped

New Member
Thread author
Jun 19, 2024
8
Hello,

For the last five years, I have been a target of persistent hacking. Despite trying many solutions, I have been unable to keep any device clean. I believe security in laptops has improved (e.g., the Trusted Platform Module, TPM), and I want to try setting up a new device. However, I face a few challenges, and I hope that discussing them with the audience in this forum will help me make the best possible decisions.

One challenge is the internet service I use. I rent a small office where I have Cox internet service installed. Cox provides this service through cable. I requested a modem without wireless features, and they provided me with an Arris Touchstone CM8200 (you can view the device here: https://www.cox.com/residential/support/arris-cm8200.html). Soon after I began using it, I realized the modem was no longer supported by Arris. When I mentioned this to Cox's tech support, they said it did not matter because a modem without wireless features is very basic. So I continued to use it.

Another challenge is the lack of security in the office I rent. The doors have keypad locks, and I have found the door open more than once. The rent is cheap, and the landlord is careless about tenants, so I know that if I complain, they will tell me to find another place. I may end up moving, but for now, this office is not secure. I mention this to explain why I often disconnect the modem.

To mitigate persistent hacking, I took the modem with me whenever I left. Cox tech support warned me that having the modem disconnected for over 24 hours could cause it to stop working, but I don't believe this.

I think that a modem disconnected for a while can be reconnected to the cable, updated (which appears to happen automatically), and work. It may require a reset, but being disconnected from the internet for a while should not cause it to fail completely (the modems we buy at the store are often quite out of date). Recently, after the modem was disconnected for a few days, it wouldn’t connect to the internet. Despite several hard resets, the light that signals a connection to the internet has been established kept blinking for over an hour. I think this was a DoS attack rather than a malfunctioning modem. I stopped using the service, but I continue to pay for it. Although I can have the modem replaced, I think the internet service as provided to me is somehow vulnerable.

I prefer the Linux operating system and have zero trust in Windows, Chromebooks, and Macs. Each of these OS has been hacked soon after I powered on a new device, even without connecting it to the internet. Of the Linux distributions, I feel most secure with Fedora. One advantage of Fedora is that current distributions are signed by Microsoft, which means this OS can be run and installed on new machines with the TPM activated.

But how can I download the package and keep it clean?

I have no clean machines, and I know the computers in the public library and at FedEx are compromised. So, how can I download Fedora and make bootable media?

Thanx
 

cartaphilus

Level 10
Verified
Well-known
Mar 17, 2023
491
If you know that then you should be able to fix your problems all by yourself.

You should contact the FBI and make a report. They'll come see you and figure out if you need a forensic digital security professional or the Hoo-Hoo Squad.
I somehow think that my definition of what I consider the Hoo-Hoo Squad to be and yours might differ greatly.

As per the OP. How certain are you that the Fedora distro you download is not backdoored and compromised?

I have also read some research papers regarding data transmission through an air gapped system.


I am also very glad that you decided not to use the @Bot while posting the question. I don't trust that AI, you don't know what it's planning.

Also, I would not trust the TPM that comes with your laptop. I mean just yesterday there was a huge patch issued by motherboard makes to updated their TPM modules do to a new vulnerability that hit the CPU's.

My advise to you is: Flash your windows, reboot your modem and install AOL on your motherboard.
 
Last edited:

TuxTalk

Level 12
Verified
Top Poster
Well-known
Nov 9, 2022
559
Hello,

For the last five years, I have been a target of persistent hacking. Despite trying many solutions, I have been unable to keep any device clean. I believe security in laptops has improved (e.g., the Trusted Platform Module, TPM), and I want to try setting up a new device. However, I face a few challenges, and I hope that discussing them with the audience in this forum will help me make the best possible decisions.

One challenge is the internet service I use. I rent a small office where I have Cox internet service installed. Cox provides this service through cable. I requested a modem without wireless features, and they provided me with an Arris Touchstone CM8200 (you can view the device here: https://www.cox.com/residential/support/arris-cm8200.html). Soon after I began using it, I realized the modem was no longer supported by Arris. When I mentioned this to Cox's tech support, they said it did not matter because a modem without wireless features is very basic. So I continued to use it.

Another challenge is the lack of security in the office I rent. The doors have keypad locks, and I have found the door open more than once. The rent is cheap, and the landlord is careless about tenants, so I know that if I complain, they will tell me to find another place. I may end up moving, but for now, this office is not secure. I mention this to explain why I often disconnect the modem.

To mitigate persistent hacking, I took the modem with me whenever I left. Cox tech support warned me that having the modem disconnected for over 24 hours could cause it to stop working, but I don't believe this.

I think that a modem disconnected for a while can be reconnected to the cable, updated (which appears to happen automatically), and work. It may require a reset, but being disconnected from the internet for a while should not cause it to fail completely (the modems we buy at the store are often quite out of date). Recently, after the modem was disconnected for a few days, it wouldn’t connect to the internet. Despite several hard resets, the light that signals a connection to the internet has been established kept blinking for over an hour. I think this was a DoS attack rather than a malfunctioning modem. I stopped using the service, but I continue to pay for it. Although I can have the modem replaced, I think the internet service as provided to me is somehow vulnerable.

I prefer the Linux operating system and have zero trust in Windows, Chromebooks, and Macs. Each of these OS has been hacked soon after I powered on a new device, even without connecting it to the internet. Of the Linux distributions, I feel most secure with Fedora. One advantage of Fedora is that current distributions are signed by Microsoft, which means this OS can be run and installed on new machines with the TPM activated.

But how can I download the package and keep it clean?

I have no clean machines, and I know the computers in the public library and at FedEx are compromised. So, how can I download Fedora and make bootable media?

Thanx
And it took a while, but the paranoia fella is back with his fairytale stories.
He probably has no school so decided to put some lame fantasy story here on MWT..... please we know you by now.
 

TairikuOkami

Level 37
Verified
Top Poster
Content Creator
Well-known
May 13, 2017
2,611
How do hackers access your PC when it's not connected to the internet? By their mind? I don't get it.
You can not remove trusted devices from MS or Google anymore, they stick forever. They tried to make it more convenient, thus they are less secure. MS does not even have 2FA anymore. :mad:

If what OP says is true, I would start fresh, buy a new smartphone, the cheapest one will do, create a new Google account and go from there. Do not connect it to any existing account, just migrate.
 

Marko :)

Level 23
Verified
Top Poster
Well-known
Aug 12, 2015
1,214
You can not remove trusted devices from MS or Google anymore, they stick forever. They tried to make it more convenient, thus they are less secure. MS does not even have 2FA anymore. :mad:
I removed my PC from my Microsoft account few days ago and old phone I don't use from my Google account without any issues. Dunno what you're talking about.

And Microsoft does have 2FA still; they hid it pretty well and the whole process is confusing. I have Aegis Authenticator set up on my phone for all important accounts, Microsoft was one of them. But ever since they adopted new way of signing in with the help of Outlook app, I was looking for alternative methods in case that one fails. When they were doing migration, they messed up my authenticator app and I couldn't sign in with the 2FA codes. All it told me is to use Outlook phone app for 2FA codes, but I couldn't find them anywhere in the app.

In short; to get 2FA codes in Aegis back, I had to remove previously set up authentication method via app and set it up again. Then it started to work normally.
If what OP says is true, I would start fresh, buy a new smartphone, the cheapest one will do, create a new Google account and go from there. Do not connect it to any existing account, just migrate.
But again, for hackers to access his computer, he'd need to be connected to the internet. You can't hack offline device remotely, only by physically accessing it.
 
Last edited:

Trident

Level 34
Verified
Top Poster
Well-known
Feb 7, 2023
2,355
This may be the first post from this account, but posts like this one are frequently being created in the malware removal section. Some bizarre spyware and malware stories that make very little sense.

I think it’s all satire (I hope it is).
 

ErzCrz

Level 22
Verified
Top Poster
Well-known
Aug 19, 2019
1,132
I have a relative that had issues with cox.com when it came to providing hardware. He switched to a different provider and just uses outlook.com for mail now. Your router should have an onboard firewall to help prevent intrusions but might be, at the very least, worth resetting it and changing the passwords and wifi key.
 

cybertrapped

New Member
Thread author
Jun 19, 2024
8
How certain are you that the Fedora distro you download is not backdoored and compromised?
I am relying on the reputation of the distribution; I understand the maintainers are strict about checking the code of the packages they include in the repository and set a high standard for security.

Which OS or Linux distribution to trust?

I am also very glad that you decided not to use the @Bot while posting the question. I don't trust that AI, you don't know what it's planning.
I trust AI, as some readers of this post might conclude, AI may be more helpful than a large number of ramblings from sarcastic online trolls, but my AI source is likely better, or at worst at par, with the bot offered by this site; contrary to your assumption, I hoped human user of this forum would offer real help.

Flash your windows, reboot your modem and install AOL on your motherboard.
Do you mean create a bootable windows OS? Or just reinstall windows?
Regarding AOL, are you making fun, or is there such a thing for keyboards?
 

cybertrapped

New Member
Thread author
Jun 19, 2024
8
How do hackers access your PC when it's not connected to the internet? By their mind? I don't get it.
"By their mind" it is strange that this was the first alternative that came to yours... oh well, let's see...
Bluetooth adapter?
Wi-Fi adapter?
 

cybertrapped

New Member
Thread author
Jun 19, 2024
8
This may be the first post from this account, but posts like this one are frequently being created in the malware removal section. Some bizarre spyware and malware stories that make very little sense.

I think it’s all satire (I hope it is).

What part of what I wrote is making no sense to you?

I assess, that instead my post making no sense (through which I give a thorough background to help readers understand some of the decisions i've taken, and which poses a simple and bone fide question given the situation I'vedescribed), what makes no sense is the large amount of sarcastic garbage posts that offer no help. The code of conduct of the forum claims there is zero tolerance for this and that, and 20% penalty for this and that... which motivated my expectation of a real conversation about my problem, but the participants seem to be more invested in ridiculing my post than in providing help or in trying to gain a better understanding of what may very well be an emerging form of of crime.

My post asking for technical help to overcome persistent hacking over a forum which domain implies solutions is in line with rational behavior. I can't vouch for the intellectual development of other participants.
 

cybertrapped

New Member
Thread author
Jun 19, 2024
8
I have a relative that had issues with cox.com when it came to providing hardware. He switched to a different provider and just uses outlook.com for mail now. Your router should have an onboard firewall to help prevent intrusions but might be, at the very least, worth resetting it and changing the passwords and wifi key.
Regarding the router, it has no wireless functionality.

I agree with you about the firewall, and when I accessed the user interface, (i.e., browsed to 192.168. 0.1) I found there is no firewall. Below I include a screenshot of what I got:

1000000802.png


Resetting the modem has not done much for me.

I agree that changing providers, (and I'll add location), may be the only alternative.
 

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