Mach4 have been contacted on several occasions by customers that have taken their computers into PC World for repairs and upgrades and have lost their valuable data.
The latest customer had taken their PC into PC World for a motherboard replacement, on return, the PC worked fine, but all data and programmes were missing from the hard disk. PC World had overwritten the original operating system and data sectors of the hard disk and the data was irretrievable. Evidently, the customer had inadvertently signed a disclaimer warning them of data loss, but was not aware of the implications. The hard drive was not defective before or after the motherboard replacement.
Mach4 ALWAYS back up customer data before undertaking major repairs or upgrades and explain to our valued customers that, when a reinstallation of the operating system is necessary, they will not lose their valuable documents, music and digital image files, but will have to reinstall programmes with the original software, or download new software using their customer log-in on the vendor site.
Our examination of the hard disk confirmed that the data had been overwritten and, unfortunately, was not recoverable.
Regular back-up of valuable data onto an external device is recommended, particularly when taking the computer in for major repair, if this is not possible, customers should confirm with the technician that data will be retrieved and backed up prior to carrying out work on their computer. Of course such action is not necessary with Mach4 who will always work to the needs of the customer.
October 2011
A local customer recently reported a scam that Mach4 hadn’t heard of before; the scenario went something like this:
- Customer receives a telephone call from the scammer, who informs him that, as part of their “internet service”, they have carried out a remote review of the customer’s PC via the internet.
- They continue to inform the customer that they have discovered several operating system faults and ask the customer to log onto their website to resolve the problems.
- The scammer provides a URL and the customer (unfortunately) logs onto the site, ignores any McAfee warnings (I’m assuming that there were some displayed), and their PC is promptly hacked and remotely controlled.
- The customer is then asked for their credit card details to ‘resolve the problems found’. The customer hangs up, but their PC continued to be hacked, demonstrated by a remotely controlled mouse and pages opened and interrogated remotely. On a restart the hacking continues and McAfee Internet Security has been disabled.
Mach4 is called to investigate and removed 2 virus infections with 4 Trojan horses.
It is unusual for the hacker to contact their victims by telephone, but criminal tactics evolve constantly. It is interesting to note that the customer was not protected by McAfee Internet Security software during the hijack, but it is not known whether the PC was hacked before, during or after the phone call.
The virus was removed using AVG but, as the customer had a long unexpired McAfee licence, they were unwilling to sacrifice this in order to change their security. They were warned that this was against our advice as either the customer had ignored warnings from McAfee, or the programme may have already been disabled inadvertently or failed to detect the threat.
The PC was running on Windows 7 Home Premium, which was also reporting that it had not been activated.
Stay safe, if you have knowledge of any new scam techniques, publish them on here!!
Having a good password (and using it) is essential, but is yours ’strong’ enough to resist persistent hacking attempts?
Test your password safely on this microsoft site
https://www.microsoft.com/protect/fraud/passwords/checker.aspx?WT.mc_id=09Home_Password_Checker
Remember to change your password regularly!!
A client recently reported that an intruder had ‘invaded’ their PC and laptop and ‘captured’ their desktop. The client was playing online poker and a ‘desktop.ini’ file had suddenly appeared on her desktop, they were unable to delete the file by conventional means and the computer was being controlled remotely. A previous computer local computer service company had formatted the hard disk, re-installed the operating system and loaded McAfee AV software, but the desktop was re-captured the next time they logged onto the poker site.
Firewall settings were upgraded, the computer was disconnected from the internet and the router switched off. McAfee was uninstalled and Kapersky Internet Security loaded. The anti-hacking software in Kapersky has detected and quarantined the file and all appears to be good.
It is advisable to contact your internet services provider and the site hosting the poker game to inform them of the event; they are keen to reduce such interference and may even be able to identify the hacker(s). Also, it is inadvisable to rely on Windows Defender alone to protect your system and anti-virus software alone is also often inadequate.
Another preferred option for regular surfers is to use an alternative to Internet Explorer, the most commonly used and hacked surfing interface, try others like Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.
Your system can also be hijacked locally, either via the WiFi connection or your Bluetooth enabled COM port (known as ‘bluejacking’); these are within the range of your device, so make sure bluetooth is turned off (or disabled) when not required and that your WiFi connection is secure.
If you think a particular website is acting as a gateway; don’t use it!
These bugs can be a swine to get rid of!!
