They alerted me about a virus found on my computer, which is really worrying for me.
They alerted me about a virus found on my computer, which is really worrying for me.
Regarding my privacy settings, I’m not too concerned about the virus. Does this mean my browsing was still tracked even after I used a VPN at the time this "Trojan_ZeroAccess" was detected? I assume a VPN creates a tunnel and hides my traffic from the ISP, right? This company uses mandatory routers and wireless APs—can a VPN still safeguard me? I can use my own router (a decent one) but only in bridge mode, which does slow things down. Please let me know if I’m misunderstanding. Thank you for any advice to keep my privacy intact!
Edit: I confirmed it’s not a phishing attempt. I accessed the ISP’s customer portal and they created a ticket about this issue.
It's entirely 100% fake, your ISP CANNOT tell if you have a virus and even if they could they wouldn't email you to tell you. It's a scam, delete it and forgot about it.
You should know that this is a 100% scam. Delete the E-Mail ASAP.
This scheme is a fraud. Your internet provider has no interest in your security issues. They only worry about whether you’re engaging in illicit activities on the dark web, such as purchasing children or downloading torrents.
I understand if it sounds confusing or stubborn. The email came from your real ISP address, didn’t request anything, and included details like my local IP, machine name, and MAC address. This shows my device information is known to them due to the router they manage closely. It indicates some traffic is coming from the exact device I’m using, but it doesn’t look like a phishing attempt to me.
Based on our previous experience with a big ISP, we don’t have visibility that deep into your system. We wouldn’t even bother if one individual had a virus. If it did, we’d be sending out emails nonstop to millions. Don’t stress too much—everyone else has said it’s phishing. Just delete the email and move on.
Edit: Yes, we can identify MAC addresses, local IPs, and other details about network connections. However, we can’t inspect system files or scan for viruses from outside. Those details aren’t out of reach. If you’re really worried, contact your ISP directly (use their official website instead of the email address) and ask a technician to check it for you.
They might be observing network activity on a port frequently used by malware, which makes sense. Or they could be noticing high traffic volumes and mistakenly think it's malicious software. I received such an alert once due to uploading large data sets regularly.
Install any kind of antivirus software and perform a scan. I understand some ISPs provide this service, though they often come with higher costs compared to others for less effective protection.