As per title. What security measures were you using the last time your system was compromised? Edit: this applies to Windows users. I will start another thread for Linux users.
Last time my system was compromised* I was using absolutely none security software, only some soft tweaks for XP and a router firewall. What happened: an infection after executing infected files of a USB flash drive that I had used in a lan house earlier on. The malware wasn't one of those common "autorun" kinds of malware. Instead, some legitimate files in the USB flash drive got infected after I used the USB flash drive in the lan house. Consequently, my unprotected XP system was infected after I deliberately opened one or other of these files. *PS: people don't get hacked. Their systems or accounts or data or whatever get hacked. Yes, that statement was annoying as ..... lol.
That's the problem with being hacked: one time is more than enough. It's so bad that usually nobody wants to "repeat" the experience. It's like being thieved.
I had my first proper computer about 12 years ago but one I shared and even though I had Norton installed a combination of reckless surfing and P2P file sharing made an absolute mess of my system in no time. While I never had anyone take control of my pc, I've no doubt it was full of viruses and spyware as I downloaded stacks of things and never kept Norton up to date. I'd often have new websites suddenly appearing in my favourites and then MS Word and Notepad suddenly disappeared. I think it's easier to be secure nowdays with the choice of free software.
IMO, any system infected by any kind of malware (unless for testing purposes) falls in the category of "hacked" or "compromised" for the thread's purposes. Gullible Jones: next time, please, don't leave open doors for wrong interpretations in your polls. Pick the words extremely carefully. lol.
The year: 2003 (I thought it was 2002 until I saw the blaster worm dates 2003, so I guess it was 2003) Security software: none. The infection happened immediately after a re-install of XP.
Oh we're going back that far? My first W2k installation probably got infected within minutes after the LAN cable was plugged in. Had no fw - forgot to download and install it before connecting to the network. Only discovered the malware after I installed Avira (good ol days, a lean and mean product) and did a system scan. Back then, I didn't care about the concept of user - admin separation, which if properly used, probably would've spared me a disk format and reinstallation. Couple of years later I learned about LUA and implemented it. Since then, only few PUP via installers. Smplayer downloaded from sourceforge surprisingly had bundled a PUP, only noticed it after the installation was finished. Likewise, for similar reasons I've been shunning download dot com for years.
Although I knew about the different account types, I didn't even know about the impacts they could have. Later I started experimenting with permissions, then made my account a "Power user" type, then later decided to run as full-time Standard, only using admin when needed.
At least twice, and both of them were when I only using AV and Windows FW (didn't have a router yet). One was a rogue AV, the other time when I was being a hacker wannabe and my PC got destroyed by a tool used to do such things. Lost all my data and learnt to do backups the hard way. Yeah, I deserved it lol.
Never. Infections don't mean "hacked" unless said infections open up backdoors and/or start transmitting personal/sensitive data back to a hacker. Compromised and hacked are two different things in my book. But, yeah, semantics and stuff. That could turn into a thread all by its little self.
True. But for the thread's purposes, I'm sure they mean the same (talking about Gullible Jones' intentions with the thread). Sadly, he will probably need to make a new thread with more exact words if he wants everyone here to understand and answer accordingly.
In 2003, a few months after getting my first PC. My homepage got changed after clicking on an X box in an ad. It scared the bejuus out of me then. Not sure if that was hacking? Ad-aware took care of that one.
I've been hacked once and infected once. On both instances, I was running Norton Internet Security. Both instances were slightly over 10 years ago.
