Hey everyone! I need some serious help here. About three weeks ago, I downloaded 'Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2' via torrent, and everything seemed fine. But a week after, I noticed some really strange things happening:
- My Instagram was hacked, with my email and phone number changed. I didn't receive any notifications about it, but luckily I had Google Authenticator set up to recover my account.
- Shortly after that, my Facebook account was also compromised.
- Just today, a friend told me my Steam account was sending scam messages. Somehow, the hacker managed to bypass Steam Guard, and again, I got no warning.
I checked my login history, and it appears that none of my email accounts were accessed except for Instagram and Steam. Here are my main concerns and questions:
1. How could someone access my Steam Authenticator from my Android device without connecting it to the infected PC? Could the torrent have contained malware or a keylogger?
2. I've already reinstalled Windows and formatted my drives, but should I be worried about my Android phone, even if I haven't downloaded anything new?
3. I have two additional storage drives that I disconnected during reinstall. How can I safely scan them for malware before I reconnect them?
4. Should I create new Gmail accounts just in case the hacker knows my current ones? I have multiple accounts linked to these emails.
5. I want to back up my photos from my Android phone without risking another infection. What's the safest way to do that?
Also, I'd love some recommendations on:
- A good password manager or method to securely back up my strong passwords.
- A reliable antivirus to ensure my system is clean now.
3 Answers
Creating new Gmail accounts might be a good idea, especially since you have a lot of important accounts tied to them. For backing up your photos, you might want to use a cloud service that encrypts your data, or transfer them to a clean USB drive and scan it before connecting it to your PC.
Great tip about the USB drive! Just make sure to use a reliable antivirus on it first.
It’s really concerning to hear about your accounts getting hacked. It’s possible that the torrent had some malware that got onto your device. It’s wise to be cautious. For your Android phone, consider running a trusted antivirus app to check for any hidden threats. As for your storage drives, you can use a Linux live CD to access them safely without booting into your infected Windows environment.
Definitely go with a live CD! It’s a safer method to avoid further risks.
That makes sense! I didn't think about using Linux to check the drives. Thanks!
For antivirus software, I recommend going with something like Bitdefender or Malwarebytes. They’re both highly rated for detecting and removing malware. And a password manager like LastPass or Dashlane would help keep your new passwords secure as well!
I’ve heard good things about Bitdefender. I’ll have to check that out!
Thanks for the suggestions! I'll definitely look into those options.
I’ve been using Google Photos with 2FA, and it works well for backing up without much hassle.