How do I convince my dad that he has not been hacked...and maybe myself too?

[isjosh]

I suspect he saw one too many of those evil pop-ups, and he says that he has been getting more spam e-mail (are gmail's antispam filters having trouble?)

 

The forum has this old guide https://linustechtips.com/topic/90213-malware-removal-guide/ , which I can get him to run, but at the same time I suspect part of it is there is no way to prove a negative. Maybe a better question is if you had to do something securely on a computer that required connecting to the internet (an important detail as it removes air gaps), how would you go about doing it to be as safe as is reasonably possible?

 

He has even spoken to me about converting to Linux partially for this reason, which I do  not believe is a solution. Or is it?

[LTT_fanboy]

3 minutes ago, isjosh said:

I suspect he saw one too many of those evil pop-ups, and he says that he has been getting more spam e-mail (are gmail's antispam filters having trouble?)

 

The forum has this old guide https://linustechtips.com/topic/90213-malware-removal-guide/ , which I can get him to run, but at the same time I suspect part of it is there is no way to prove a negative. Maybe a better question is if you had to do something securely on a computer that required connecting to the internet (an important detail as it removes air gaps), how would you go about doing it to be as safe as is reasonably possible?

 

He has even spoken to me about converting to Linux partially for this reason, which I do  not believe is a solution. Or is it?

get kaspersky internet protector , it is 3.99 usd a month

[Radium_Angel]

Ad blockers, and a lot of them for browsing.

Run as a limited user under Windows

Can't do anything about spam in gmail.

[StDragon]

• Use the Brave browser
• Install AV such as BitDefender or Norton.

[isjosh]

1 minute ago, LTT_fanboy said:

get kaspersky internet protector , it is 3.99 usd a month

Doesn't this just add another attack surface?

[LTT_fanboy]

4 minutes ago, isjosh said:

Doesn't this just add another attack surface?

no its trusted my more than 400 million people , i use it and i have no more problems , scans ur pc for any malware viruses , or threats , and cleans them off.

[Electronics Wizardy]

2 minutes ago, LTT_fanboy said:

no its trusted my more than 400 million people , i use it and i have no more problems , scans ur pc for any malware viruses , or threats , and cleans them off.

And so does the build in windows defender, and its included with windows. Paying for antivirus isn't needed for most users, windows defender has gotten pretty good now

 

 

[FloRolf]

IMO AdBlocker is all you need unless you regularly visit janky sites for your wanky. 

 

Other than that you should regularly do offsite or at least offline backups of your important data so even if your PC gets bricked you still have everything. 

And then you make secure passwords for your accounts and use 2FA.

[Radium_Angel]

14 minutes ago, LTT_fanboy said:

trusted my more than 400 million people

But not the gov't in USALand, which ought to tell you something.

[Moonzy]

If he's gullible enough to believe those pop-up, he's probably gullible enough to click it, which may infect his PC for real, just saying

 

Might also explain why he's getting spam emails because he probably filled in a form or something

[isjosh]

5 minutes ago, Moonzy said:

If he's gullible enough to believe those pop-up, he's probably gullible enough to click it, which may infect his PC for real, just saying

 

Might also explain why he's getting spam emails because he probably filled in a form or something

As long as there is money in something people will try to exploit it. In security you have to be right all the time. They can fail most of the time and come out ahead. Smart people are always the easiest to con.

[Tech87]

I run a combination of Windows Defender and uBlock browser addin.

I have not had any malware/adware in the last 5 years or so.

 

As far as spam emails, your best bet is to just delete/block them and/or report them so your providers spam filter can increase its intelligence.

[isjosh]

20 minutes ago, Tech87 said:

I run a combination of Windows Defender and uBlock browser addin.

I have not had any malware/adware in the last 5 years or so.

 

As far as spam emails, your best bet is to just delete/block them and/or report them so your providers spam filter can increase its intelligence.

This is exactly it, I do not think he has anything because his evidence is just the same crap we all deal with, but I do not know how to prove a negative.

[LTT_fanboy]

14 minutes ago, Eviljuche said:

Why not just download Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool? It is free, it scans for viruses and removes them only when you ask it, it does not work as a hidden process, and is not bloated af. 

that what is was talking about

[dilpickle]

On 5/18/2021 at 3:12 PM, isjosh said:

I suspect he saw one too many of those evil pop-ups, and he says that he has been getting more spam e-mail (are gmail's antispam filters having trouble?)

 

The forum has this old guide https://linustechtips.com/topic/90213-malware-removal-guide/ , which I can get him to run, but at the same time I suspect part of it is there is no way to prove a negative. Maybe a better question is if you had to do something securely on a computer that required connecting to the internet (an important detail as it removes air gaps), how would you go about doing it to be as safe as is reasonably possible?

 

He has even spoken to me about converting to Linux partially for this reason, which I do  not believe is a solution. Or is it?

That's easy. Wipe the system and reinstall. That way you can both be sure nothing is compromised.

 

After that you will have to follow safe online practices for which there are many resources to guide you.

[RoseLuck462]

Start using an ad blocker ASAP.