Hacking alert

[LAS14]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by mcar (a host of the 2016 Postmortem forum).

Admins, please let this off-topic post remain, as it’s important that DUers be warned.

My computer got hacked today, and the path to it started on DU, although I don't suspect any bad behavior on the part of DUers. But I thought I should share my experience, lest this happen to someone else.

I posted a question about the whereabouts of Cha and Her Sister, who haven’t been posting since the very end of July. I got several answers and then a DU Mail telling me that Her Sister was present at a different Hillary site, by invitation only, and she gave me a link to it. She also said that another DUer, who apparently is an administrator on that site said that I had previously had difficulty proving I was a human, so she encouraged me to try again. In retrospect that may have been a red flag… dunno.

The DUer has a long history of postings, so I won’t mention her name here. I also won’t mention the name of the web site unless she gives permission. I won’t try to go back there unless I get a screen shot of posts from her and Her Sister on that site.

Anyway, I successfully created an account via the familiar method of getting an authorization message in e-mail. I tried to actually log on, and got to the point of proving I was a human. It was clear that the login process was handled by a separate company whose name I can’t remember, and I’m afraid to go back and look. I moved a graphic around to prove I was human and then got another “pop up” (I don’t think it was a real popup, just a small window looking thing) that looked just like the first, but this wanted me to get involved in a sales pitch for something completely different. I’m not sure what I did, but then I got a 3rd “popup” that looked just like the first two which asked me to call an 800 number.

Here’s where I get embarrassed. I’m really very good about not clicking on suspicious things. But I called this number. Last week I’d had the experience of letting a real Microsoft technician take control of my computer to help with a failure of two level verification. That was not spurious. They fixed the problem, etc., etc. So I can only attribute my idiocy to a lingering glow.

Bottom line, this technician took control of my computer. He “showed me” how my network and e-mails were hacked. I didn’t suspect criminality until he said I couldn’t call back to engage their fixit services. Fortunately I didn’t go that far. They hung up when I asked for a phone number. I did take a screen shot of the instructions he left in notepad, but I can’t use my computer to put it in dropbox. Can’t use it on the internet til it’s cleaned, according to my techie go-to guy.

I don’t know where the intrusion started, whether the Clinton web site’s login company is bad, or whether the Clinton web site itself is bad. But be forwarned.

Thanks,
LAS

[stonecutter357]

1. Did you go to JackSquatFanaticals ?

My Norton says the jpr has a keylogger.

[LAS14]

2. No, that wasn't it. But thanks for the alert!

[NurseJackie]

5. Wow! That's pretty scary!

Another reason to avoid.

[Maeve]

3. Never call an 800 number you haven't verified and NEVER let a tech take control of your computer

UNLESS--you called that tech at a verified number!!!!! (LAS, you learned this the hard way; this warning is for others)

My Mom gets "you've been hacked" screens and she doesn't go anywhere but Facebook. She now knows to turn off the computer and call us--Hubby can walk her thru or take control and clear her cache or whatever she needs to do. But Hubby has had clients that have nearly ruined their businesses by following "call this number" instructions.
Glad you have a go-to techie to help you out!

[Control-Z]

4. My guess is that the pop up

is outside malware appearing at the other site against that site owner's wishes or knowledge.

I know that site and can't imagine the owner would ever knowingly try to hurt anyone, especially a DUer.

I will contact the owner about your experience there, if you'd like.

[LAS14]

7. Yes, please do. But how do you know what the site...

.. is? Just curious.

[Control-Z]

9. I'll send you a pm. n/t

[Go Vols]

6. k

so don't go to a website you wont name.

I feel safer already.

[LAS14]

8. You can go to any website you wish. Just don't...

... call the 800 number.

[LAS14]

12. The owner of the website in question...

... contacted me via DU mail and pointed out some lack of clarity in my post. Hope this helps. Wherever the spurious message came from, it looked exactly like the "validate that you are a human" messages that I had seen on the website. So it was tailored to the website, not just a popup presented by malicious software on my computer.

An identical post was closed in the Hillary Group because I wouldn't reveal the name of the website and couldn't remember the name of the login management company. I didn't reveal the name because I don't want to direct people away from a website which I wasn't sure was at fault. I am now sure it isn't at fault, but it does need to research what's going on.

[KMOD]

13. You should delete this thread.

Not only does it have nothing to do with the 2016 election, it has nothing to do with this site and it is attracting asshole spammers.