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How to protect my computer from my ex-professional-hacker-bf


LauraArendt

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Dear all,

I was wondering which are the best ways to protect my computer from my ex-boyfriend who is a professional hacker. He is a very nice and honest person, just a little crazy: he still hacks me, in spite of my filling several reports with the police. It's just a game for him, but it's getting a little excessive.

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1. Make sure he has no physical access to your computing equipment. This may include new physical measures such as a change in door locks and keeping premises secured. Never leave portable computing equipment unattended.

2. Change all your account passwords. Make sure you use Strong Passwords and make sure they are not based on any personal information (i.e.; telephone numbers, birth dates, names, addresses, etc.)

3. Use Call Blocking and email filters to eliminate contact from the ex-BF.

4. Shred all documents.

5. Limit your use of Social Media and use peer account restrictions to limit access to what may already exist.

6. Communicate your preferences and objectives to close friends and relatives so they won't be used for Social Engineering to get at you.

7. Remain focused and Be Aware of your surroundings in both Physical Space and in Cyber Space.

8. Scan your computing devices and make a base-line of software so you know their states and of any changes to their state.

9. If you use home WiFi make sure passwords are changed on it and the system is locked-down.

10. Most important... Be Proactive and not Reactive.

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Just to add to the excellent advice from David, when you change all your passwords, make sure you are changing them from a computer that you know is not already compromised. Make sure this Ex-BF did not install some sort of key logger on the system.

If you want we can direct you to our experts so they can help you scan the system for stuff that should not be running on the computer.

Also do not use the same password for everything.

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David's recommendations are very good, and I would only add three things:

  1. Make sure that you have a backup of your data on some sort of external device (such as a USB hard drive). If you don't want anyone else to have access to the backup, then use some sort of encryption software such as TrueCrypt to ensure that the data remains safe.
  2. You may want to consider using a program that generates strong passwords rather than trying to make them up on your own. Steven Burn (an employee of Malwarebytes) has a nifty password generator on his website that will create as many passwords as you want and you can select the length of the password, as well as what type of characters it should contain (ANS being the strongest because it uses symbols in addition to numbers and letters).
  3. With strong passwords, you will need a secure place to either save them or write them down. Some people like to keep a list in a text file on an encrypted flash drive, some people like to write them down or print them out on a sheet of paper and keep that on them, and some people prefer special password management software that requires a master password to access all of the other passwords. Regardless of what system you choose, make sure that it is not something that can be easily lost or misplaced, and that cannot be easily stolen.

Also, please note that some people, once they realize that they can no longer exploit or harass you digitally, may attempt a physical confrontation. While it most likely will not be necessary, it is still a good idea to get some sort of self defense training in order to be prepared for those rare cases where something like that happens. Even if you would never consider owning a firearm and learning to shoot to be an acceptable option, there are a number of non-lethal methods of defending yourself. As I am sure you have already discovered the police are usually powerless to prevent someone from harassing and exploiting you, so I highly recommend at least looking in to learning about self defense. ;)

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asides from what the others have mentioned ...

i see the real problem as a matter of honesty and respect for personal effects and areas ...

this can be and is a "relationship killer" (in the long run , and time is relative) .

his actions have already led you here to explore solutions to his invasion of "personal property" ...

a side effect of this is the development of "raised suspicions" in your mind (ya gotta ask yerself ; "what else is he doing ?") .

there is a an old saying : "any dog that will pack a bone will also steal a bone" .

it does not matter if "he is a bit crazy" or not . certainly , in a court of law , ones "craziness" is only taken into account when it pertains to the mental competency to stand trial .

hacking your comp is no different than him breaking into your car and driving off with it , prying open the lock on your diary or stealing the key to your post office box and sifting through your mail .

this demonstrates a clear lack of respect for you and a lack of sense of honor (and hence respect) for himself .

maybe you should plant some "choice" but bogus emails , e-cards and other "things" for him to find .

these would be items that would "make him sweat" , if you catch my drift . ;)

another old saying : "be careful what you would wish (or "look" in this case) for , you may just get it" .

personally , i have been known to play pranks on select others but in a non-destructive manner (mea culpa) .

i have also been on the receiving end (turn about is fair play) .

but to "hack" my gf's comp is the furthest thing from my mind ... as a matter of fact , i find it a revolting thought to even contemplate .

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Hi: :)

I'm just a home computer user & have next to nothing to add to the excellent suggestions offered by the other, more expert members. :)

However, if your MBAM forum username is your real name (LauraArendt)....

....Might it also be helpful to select usernames/"handles" for your internet accounts & profiles that aren't your real name?

I'm thinking that it might help in a tiny way to make it less hard to find you, at least out on the internet?

<Just a thought>

Take care,

daledoc1

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