My emails were repeatedly hacked to the point that I can’t get back in to some of them, my laptop and my boyfriends PC’s had a lot of screenshots left behind by the hackers and now I am looking for security that is more than AVB or Total AV etc. I came across Glasswire the other day and installed it - I thought that it was really impressive…but after the next restart …I click on the icon and go to ‘use as an adminstrator’ then there is a bit of a buffering moment…and nothing.
Grok suggested uninstalling and reinstalling in safe mode…tried that …still doesn’t work.
I also went and added it to the firewall…I don’t know much about this side of computers hoping that didn’t make things worse.
Advise and guidance will be appreciated. I just can’t seem to get secure and feel safe enought to continue with my work.
I need real help please and hoping if any one can offer some guidelines as to ward of hackers. I am exhausted from all of this.
Glasswire is just a API that uses the the built in Windows Firewall. It is not an AV.
If you want a good AV. Bitdefender Antivirus Plus, could be good.
Dont get the other packages because they will have a firewall protection and will defeat the purpose using Glasswire - Windows Firewall.
As you said "I click on the icon and go to ‘use as an adminstrator’’
No need to do that.
Glasswire should auto start and just place an icon in the windows system tray.
Which is next to the clock and date.
When you right click that icon it would the show you a menu with options.
Hope this helps
I’m afraid to say it time to format and reinstall from fresh media. While there will be plenty of well intentioned advice about how to clean your PC, it’s simply not possible to be 100% certain you have managed to get rid of all the bad actor code that is lurking inside your system just waiting to be reactivated. Not to mention you still need to identify what the source and original entry point was.
Identifying the original source of infection is something you will definitely need help with so you don’t reinfect your nice clean installation.
Your risk appetite is your choice, so choose wisely.
Thank you for all the useful advice. I had to reset my laptop did it twice using the keep your files option and then had to download a new Windows and did a clean install. Glasswire is working fine now. I am also using a trial version of ESET business edition. Holding thumbs they work, I wish I could find someone who can read Wireshark files because I just got a string of black and red packets and had to do a clean install again. I am tired and exhausted just want to be back to normal.
Unfortunately, the keep your files option could carry some risk. If some malware files are in your user area they may survive the reset. To be certain it would be best to manually copy the files you care about to external storage. Then perform a full format and clean install Windows. Finally, perform a virus scan of your files before copying them back to your laptop.
Wireshark is quite a low level network analysis tool. Whilst it can be used to spot suspicious activity, it is not designed to be a security tool as such. The output can be difficult to read if you are not familiar with networking protocols and what normal behaviour is expected to look like.
Due to the nature of the compromise it’d best you back up critical files to an external drive and do a complete and full format. After that, look into adding Two Factor Authentication to your emails and other accounts. I’d recommend using Authy which is available for iPhone and Android.
Don’t bother with any sort of paid antivirus solution. The built in Microsoft Defender will do an exceptional job.
Honestly, “Grok” and any other “AI” assistant will not be able to give you the proper advice and assistance you really need.
A minor correction to what was mentioned earlier. Glasswire is software that utilizes the Microsoft Defender Firewall API.
If you were to purchase any sort of software I’d strongly recommend Malwarebytes.
Now, if you are unable to make a proper backup and wipe the system fully (though recommended) next best steps would be to follow the following guides from my website:
Go to https://www.malwarebytes.com it will clear out all viruses and close any open ports that shouldn’t be open and it will keep your computer protected. Well worth the money.
