I sincerely hope that my guidance on hacking/scams will be well known to everyone at this point. Unfortunately, every week my engineers gets calls, usually from homeowners, grandchildren or children about some horrific hack of which their loved one has become a victim. GCG is generally not above servicing homes, but our business and billing model generally doesn’t work for homeowners. However, we do feel a moral obligation and will provide advice or offer to have the owner bring the PC into our offices.
Some of this column, which I should have written in the past, is more of “what to do if I think I have been hacked” advice, rather than technical details. For advice on ransomware, which is totally different and targets businesses more often than individuals, see my past column: https://www.jewishlinknj.com/features/18777-i-wannacry-over-ransomeware.
Parents and grandparents are the most vulnerable to hacking or phone scams, not your teenagers. Remember the vulnerability part. If you are a parent, you are vulnerable. I will say that I am that guy; I would do anything for my children’s well being. My guard certainly goes down if I think my kids are in trouble. But I as well as all of my children are well versed in hacking, scamming techniques and stranger danger, regardless of who the person is, and, particularly if that threat comes from an unrecognized number or email address, I know to be even more careful.
Let me elaborate when I say “vulnerable.” I also mean they are “embarrassed” to ask for help. Many people who get hacked are embarrassed to say this happened to them. Some of these folks could be accomplished surgeons, clergy, professors or business owners. “Even when my team explains, “You have been hacked,” the response is “Not me, the rep was so nice and I even called him/her back and he/she picked up! The caller ID said Microsoft!”
Recently, an IDF soldier’s email was hacked. The hacker called the grandfather, to whom the hacker got access via the soldier’s emails. This grandfather is older but is an accomplished, tough man. The hacker, in Hebrew, said the following: “Your grandson _____ got into trouble and is facing court-martial, possibly jail time. We have a lawyer who is trying to fix this for him. The lawyer is a big WidgetMusic company user and will take payment in WidgetMusic company gift cards.” The grandfather bought the whole story, and even purchased the WidgetMusic company gift cards before he got suspicious.
Another story. A Widget-company owner received a call from “Microsoft.” “Your PC has been compromised; we want to run a free virus check to make sure you are safe.” (P.S. This would literally never happen in real life.) The owner gave remote access and the hackers ran bogus “driver software” that makes the hardware run on Windows. While the program ran, the rep asked, “What type of data is on the PC?”
The owner thought this was a legitimate question and gave intricate details about the finances and how they take payments at the Widget company. He realized his error almost immediately but was embarrassed and waited three days to call our office. By then the hackers figured it out and crashed Windows.
The hackers may then have access to Amazon accounts and change the email on Amazon, then order thousands of dollars of items before you know it. Most of these hackers are Smash and Grab. They take what they can before you notice. The faster you follow the list below the better. Do not wait!
Here is my professional advice on what to do if you think you are hacked:
1. Change all passwords and security questions to all email accounts.
2. Call or walk into your bank and change all credit/debit card numbers.
3. Check bank accounts for any small activity; that’s right—look for the $1 charge. Don’t assume anything is legitimate if you do not recognize the payee.
4. If you do receive a call from your bank ask which bank it is; do not deny or confirm anything. Hang up and call the number on the back of your bank/credit card.
5. Run your credit reports especially if your elderly parent just lost a spouse. Horrible people may open credit cards in a deceased person’s name. Who is going to run a credit report on someone deceased?
6. The IRS, Microsoft, Google and your bank are rarely going to call you. If they send an email or actually call, do as above: Hang up and go into the bank or call the number on the back of your card. Never confirm any charges.
If you realize you are being hacked remotely, here are some actions you can take right away:
1. Disconnect your PC from the network and power.
2. Call the police. Yes, I know there isn’t much the police may be able to do but you may need the report for your insurance.
3. Most insurances do have clauses to cover a business from data hacks. Call our office at 201-379-9234 for details.
4. Back up your data to cloud storage: Office 365/Google Drive or backup companies like Crashplan or Backblaze.
When our team is working on data recovery we are not concerned about the PC. We want to get the data back. Any office/school or non-profit today that does not have a firewall installed is just being irresponsible. If you will not protect your company think about your client’s data. Firewalls are routers/Wifi and protection. The prices have dropped dramatically in the past few years.
Lastly, if you are hacked, please note this is the time you need real I.T. professionals, not the PC repair guy or your neighbor’s children. We see this a lot, and it couldn’t be a worse idea.
Do not be complacent; if you have monitored anti-virus or a firewall, run it often and keep it up to date. Instruct your staff not to plug their iPhones into the PC to charge. Restrict Wifi from your staff. No personal email or plugging USB keys for that matter. Use real email like @gmail.com, Office 365 or GSuite for business. Hire an IT MSP to back up your data and keep your security hardware up to date.
The best way to be prepared is to be aware that no big company is ever going to call you to “help you” with a virus you don’t even know about, and no one takes money in gift cards except scammers. This is common sense, but I know great people who have been taken in. Again, it’s because our guards are down. My apologies; sometimes I need to be direct and not fluffy but if I save even one reader from getting scammed or hacked, I have accomplished something.
By Shneur Garb
Shneur Garb is the co-founder of The Garb I.T. Consulting Group and 1to1chromebooks.com. Follow Shneur @shneurG.
