I accidentally got hacked after downloading a game from a friend's account. After installing this "game," my PC was compromised. I've taken a lot of steps to fix the issue, but now I can't connect to the internet. I've tried a network reset, unplugging the router and waiting for 30 seconds, restarting my PC multiple times, reinstalling network drivers, and running some command prompt resets like 'netsh winsock reset', 'netsh int ip reset', 'ipconfig /release', 'ipconfig /renew', and 'ipconfig /flushdns'. Any suggestions on how to get back online?
4 Answers
Honestly, just go for a Windows reinstall. It's the quickest way to fix everything, especially after a hack. Whatever you find online about repairing just won't be as effective as a clean install.
Well, serves you right for downloading a hacked game in the first place. Always be cautious with stuff like that!
You might want to check your Windows proxy settings. Sometimes they can reroute your internet through another computer. Make sure it's blank or unset. If you see an IP address there, delete it. Fixing that might help, but if it does, I'd still recommend reinstalling Windows since you could have lingering malware.
Lucky for me, it was all blank, so it looks safe. But even after following a bunch of suggestions from search engines, my internet still isn't working.
The best way to ensure your system is clean after a malware infection is to reinstall Windows using a USB stick. This is often the safest route to take.
Doesn't that cost money to reinstall? I'm on a tight budget.