I accidentally clicked on a dubious link on Twitter (now known as X) that took me to a sketchy website. Almost immediately, my mouse started moving from my second monitor, where I'm using Opera, to the center of my laptop screen. I quickly shut down my computer before anything could happen. After that, I conducted an offline scan and ran full scans using Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes, but none of them found any issues. I cleared all browser cache, browsing history, cookies, and sign-ins from Opera, and found no new extensions or changes. I also deleted everything in the temp folder, confirmed that there were no new profiles on my laptop, and checked Task Manager for any new startup apps. Do you think I'm in the clear, or should I take more precautions?
2 Answers
Honestly, I'd recommend reinstalling Windows just to be safe. It sounds extreme, but it's the best way to ensure that any potential malware is completely wiped out. You can use Rufus to create a bootable USB with a Windows 11 ISO from Microsoft and install it from there. Just make sure to delete your C drive partition during the process for a clean install.
Is it really necessary to go through all that hassle? What risks am I facing?
Before going to extremes, you might want to check Task Manager for any suspicious tasks that have strange names or lack icons. If you find anything odd, right-click and delete that file after closing the task. Just a precaution.
I already did that! Everything looks normal on my end; only recognized apps were running.
And after you do that, don’t forget to reset all your passwords—just in case!