Yesterday morning I received an email demanding I pay $1400 to a web link or my computer would be taken over. The title of the email included a password I use on some accounts. It was enough for me to feel that it might not be fake and that has proved correct. I deleted it and changed some passwords using a different computer. I had a chat with my ISP Zen who thought it was probably fake but advised me to change my password with them. After deleting the email the PC worked OK until the evening - when I turned it on after an evening out the browser Firefox and email client Thunderbird would not respond. This morning the PC works OK when disconnected from my router so Iāve access to all my files and my email history but the browser and email lock up when the PC is connected to the router. This is not a life or death matter as Iāve got a laptop which is not quite a clone but close enough to keep me going - hence this message. I could give the PC to a local shop confident that Iāve never been to the dark web and that Plod wonāt be having another āGary Glitter momentā but I would rather solve it myself.
Suggestions and help please ā¦
Thanks,
Graham
PS : Iāve check my finances and everything is as it should be.
Change your passwords and if your pc is infected, format and reinstall windows, copy important data to an external drive and then leave it disconnected. If that isnāt something you are confident doing or are aware of, pc world can help you, obviously youāll be victim to their costs and time.
It sounds to me like your machine doesnāt have virus, Iād advise removing Firefox/thunderbird and reinstalling it. Itās likely just coincidence that this has started happening after seeing that dodgy email.
For future reference on why it is important to ignore those emails (and confirmation that you have done the right thing so far)ā¦
As an IT pro, if youāve been hit by ransomware, you will not get the corrupt data back, so, you will have learnt the value of backups on separate hardware. A few lecturers at work who should know better fell for ransomware links and lost a few days work. People have paid for the recovery solution, which, has never been sent to them, so theyāve lost data and are out of pocket.
I get these regularly. All based on a password I havenāt used for 10 years, and threatening to send videos of me watching porn to āall my facebook contacts.ā Good luck with that one, lads.
They are completely bogus and based on stolen password lists - I think mine came from Linkedin. Just make sure the password is no longer in use.
