They gained remote access, and a fresh OS installation appears to contain a patch.
They gained remote access, and a fresh OS installation appears to contain a patch.
In short, a family member executed something from a fake Blender site while you were away. Three months later, someone gained remote access to your PC. Is a new SSD and fresh Windows enough, or might other parts be at risk? Explanation: The person ran an untrusted program from a convincing fake website. I thought I cleaned it up properly, but didn’t notice any .NET errors on startup. After three months, Windows flagged a few files as potential threats, which I deleted. I never left the PC unattended for long until I returned. When I came back, Chrome was open and I saw a search for “Venmo” in SOS mode. Good news—I don’t store sensitive passwords there. This suggests someone monitored my system and had control remotely, which is concerning. The only remote tool I use is Parsec, which hasn’t been exploited recently. My concern is whether the other hardware could still be compromised. Rootkit viruses can affect almost any component. Any advice would be appreciated!
I can't say for sure what the ghosts of malware are doing, but I believe removing the partitions, reshaping them, thoroughly cleaning the drive with random data, and then wiping it again should effectively disrupt any leftover malware.
There could be benefits beyond replacing the drive and installing a new OS. A fresh SSD paired with Windows 10 might offer better performance and reliability compared to using an older system. This approach avoids the risks of rootkit threats and keeps your existing hardware intact.
I'm not familiar with rootkits or their impact on motherboards yet. However, I can suggest you try removing a partition, making a fresh one, reformatting it, loading data, and then wiping the new partition to start over—like extinguishing a campfire and unloading a water truck. Swapping an SSD for a new one also seems safe. Someone might confirm whether rootkits exist, though it's likely BIOS updates are handled through their own processes. @ampersand23 EDIT: You may want to revert your BIOS to an earlier version and then update it to the latest compatible release. Edited June 24, 2022 by An0maly_76 Revised, more info
Rootkits often appear in scenarios involving remote access, making it a real concern. The good news is that properly formatted drives can help eliminate them, as these kits typically hide within Windows installations. Restoring the original Windows setup should resolve the issue.
Support those who believe a thorough disk wipe is sufficient. I’d feel secure in this situation with Active@Killdisk, as the free version leaves the whole drive blank, similar to a brand-new unit.