Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2022 April 12

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April 12

Hack

I use fully licensed Kaspersky Internet security. I thought that this will protect my laptop, whatever I do on net. Few days ago my mouse was moving on it's own and clicking folders, changing settings.

In Windows 10 and 11, Windows Defender is better than any antivirus nowadays. You probably have a RAT. If you disconnect from the Internet, the RATer can't hack you, while it's offline. Then scan with Defender and see if it finds anything. If not, look to see if you have any legitimate remote access software installed like TeamViewer or SupportNow. And uninstall it. Zorya's Leshak (talk) 06:30, 12 April 2022 (UTC)

I switched off the internet and it stopped. Is Internet security not 100% protection? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Cedrayi (talk • contribs) 03:41, 11 April 2022 (UTC)

Cursors moving on their own tends to be an issue with the mouse/trackpad and not malicious (I used to work a helpdesk, and there were plenty of "viruses" that were just bad mice), but this could also be an indicator of remote desktop software or a RAT installed on your computer. It would help if you told us more about what settings were being changed.

In any case, no anti-virus, including Kaspersky's products, is able to provide 100% protection. Sadly, nothing is unhackable. Personally, I've found Malwarebytes to be fairly decent at cleaning up infections; you can install the free version and run a scan without uninstalling Kaspersky. If you're still worried about malware, a factory reset may be helpful. As far as I know, malware isn't supposed to persist through these. PC Magazine has a good article on how to do this.

Just as a disclaimer, I'm not saying your problem is caused by malware. From experience, this tends not to be the case. Malware has much stealthier ways to do evil things to your computer, and doesn't need to move the cursor. Sunmist (talk) 04:31, 11 April 2022 (UTC)

I know about mouse problems. I visit restricted sites which every teen does. Anyway, what happened was that the mouse was clicking very fast and moving on its own. First, a dos window appeared and then closed by itself. I lost control of the mouse. It started clicking settings of windows, and then it seemed someone is doing it very fast. I realized this is intentional, and he has to practice doing so soon. I tried to disconnect net through the icon, but couldn't do it. I switched off my phone which was tethered. The mouse stopped. The wifi has a password, phone wifi, not public wifi. I contacted customer support but they couldn't find anything. I reset factory settings. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Cedrayi (talk • contribs) 06:04, 11 April 2022 (UTC)

Is it a school laptop, or other MDM locked device? If you're watching inappropriate content on a school laptop, they may be trying to block you from doing that. Zorya's Leshak (talk) 19:10, 12 April 2022 (UTC)

You could have a remote desktop application such as TeamViewer or AnyDesk installed; these give a remote user full access to your desktop. They have legitimate remote-adminstration purposes, but are also used by malicious actors. These will be listed in the Taskbar (icons beside the clock, you probably need to click on the up arrow to open the pop-up menu). Or open a Command Prompt with Run As Administer. In it run

netstat -a -b -o -n -p tcp | find "LISTENING" and netstat -a -b -o -n -p udp | find "LISTENING". This list all the servers running on your laptop, and the name of their process. There will be several legitimate Windows services there; if you post the list I can weed them out for you. TeamViewer's process starts tv_ and I can't remember what AnyDesk uses. LongHairedFop (talk) 20:33, 11 April 2022 (UTC)

Just to clarify, I think the poster meant that they were using a hotspot when they said "phone wifi, not public wifi". Rusty4321 ^{talk contributions log} 19:08, 13 April 2022 (UTC)

• I use fully licensed Kaspersky Internet security. I thought that this will protect my laptop, whatever I do on net. That is entirely incorrect. No antivirus software will ever protect you from dubious software if you do not think about what you are doing (relevant comic strip). That does not mean you should stop browsing dubious sites (well, not for safety reasons anyway) but if you’re clicking through warning signs without reading them, bad stuff will happen. Tigraan^{Click here for my talk page ("private" contact)} 11:57, 15 April 2022 (UTC)

Flexible prepaid cell options in the us

Hi. I visit the US couple of times every year. I used to have an at&t prepaid sim. This way, I could use the same local number when in the US, and I have switched to the $2 every-day-you-use plan when I'm not there. I didn't use it out of the US, so I didn't have to pay for that. Recently at&t canceled the $2 per day option. Is there any other carrier that offers the same options? Or maybe there's another way to keep using my current US number without paying a monthly fee? I'm not there most of the time. I use an unlocked phone. Thanks! Questo1 (talk) 22:44, 12 April 2022 (UTC)

Sorry for the delay in responding. Was busy. FreedomPop is one option. They have a very limited free plan that's based around using Wi-Fi, but I believe you can switch to the paid plan if you want "regular" cell service when you visit. You also might want to look at whether Google Voice will serve your purpose. You can port a phone number to them. I don't know how well this will work if you're usually not located in the U.S. though. Unfortunately it looks like there isn't much else available in the U.S. in terms of "only pay when you use it". Red Pocket Mobile and Tello Mobile are carriers that have monthly fees but let you customize your plan and pay little if you don't use it much. --47.147.118.55 (talk) 08:41, 19 April 2022 (UTC)