Hey everyone! I need some help. My brother had his Facebook hacked twice, and he thinks the malware might be stuck in the hardware of his old laptop after he tried reinstalling Windows. He used to play some pirated games, which might be where the infection started. After the second hack, he bought a Mac Mini and hasn't used his Acer Nitro 5 laptop since. I want to wipe everything from the laptop and install Bazzite (a Linux distro with KDE Plasma) for gaming, but my brother says I shouldn't because the malware is embedded in the hardware and will continue to steal data even after I change the operating system. I have two main questions: 1. Is there any truth to his concerns about malware hiding in hardware? 2. If I go ahead with the Linux installation, what can I do to ensure the laptop is completely safe?
5 Answers
If you're really paranoid about malware, just replace the SSD altogether. They're pretty cheap now, and that way you can feel assured it's all wiped clean.
For sure! And even a BIOS flash can help to ensure everything is clean.
It's way more likely that your brother just got infected again. There isn't really any malware that can survive a full wipe of the hard drive. If he keeps getting hacked, it's probably because of weak passwords or not practicing good security hygiene.
I agree with you! It's important to use strong, unique passwords for every account, especially email, since they're often the target to bypass 2FA.
A rootkit could persist, but that's more linked to software than hardware. You might consider updating the laptop’s firmware just for peace of mind.
To keep the installation safe, just boot from a USB with Linux, format the drive, and do a full install. That should remove all the old data. And definitely avoid Windows if you’re worried!
I recommend using a password manager to help update all the passwords securely after switching.
That's a solid plan! If you're extra cautious, you could also run a bootable antivirus scan from the USB before the install.
There are definitely malware variants that can exist in hardware, like BIOS infections, but chances are really low. Most of them render the system unbootable. Your brother likely just needs to be more careful with his passwords or perhaps check that he’s expelled all existing sessions after recovering his Facebook account.
Yeah, good security hygiene is key! I suggest checking all security settings after account recovery.
Exactly! And if you just wipe the drive and install Linux, you should be fine—just keep an eye on anything suspicious in your firewall logs.
Honestly, the bigger issue is probably that Facebook accounts get hacked due to weak email passwords. Changing his email might be more effective than worrying about the hardware, which is unlikely to have persistent malware.
Right? A strong email password goes a long way in protecting your accounts.
Absolutely! Never underestimate the power of a good, unique password!
That’s true, it’s a good idea if you want complete peace of mind!