I've been dealing with some serious hacks on my accounts. Despite having an authenticator app set up for two-factor authentication (2FA), I still find that my accounts on my PC, including Discord, Instagram, and Facebook, are getting compromised. My friends even received messages with links claiming to offer 'free money.' After reclaiming my accounts, changing all my passwords, and wiping my PC to eliminate any potential viruses, I thought I was in the clear. However, I tested logging into Instagram on my PC 12 hours later, only to find the same hacking issues happening again. Is there something deeper, like a BIOS or firmware vulnerability, that could cause this persistent problem?
4 Answers
Check your email security as well. Sometimes, it could be your email account that's compromised, allowing hackers to bypass authentication on other accounts. Make sure to look at all active devices linked to your email, log out any that shouldn't be there, and reset your password immediately.
It's crucial to understand how you wiped your PC. What process did you use? A proper wipe usually means creating a new Windows install USB from a trusted computer, booting from it, deleting all partitions, and then installing Windows fresh. Make sure you also check any backups before restoring files, as they could carry malware that reinfects your PC.
Totally, and make sure to use a legitimate version of whatever software you're reinstalling. You don't want to bring any old threats back!
It sounds like you're still compromised. Wipe your system again, but this time, don't restore any apps or data automatically. Reinstall only what you need and ensure that you're only bringing back 'clean' data. This way, you won't reintroduce whatever malware you got originally.
Exactly! A fresh start can help, just be careful about what you restore afterward.
Have you considered that the attackers might have gotten your session cookies from something you downloaded? This could bypass 2FA entirely. Also, reviewing how your multi-factor authentication is set up could reveal vulnerabilities. Are you using an app, texts, or calls? Who has access to that info?
That's a good point! An email breach could definitely be the root cause of these issues.