Topic: I've been hacked (Electrum 4.3.2) - page 3. (Read 12976 times)

Based on the steps Op has taken OP has no need for the chance now OP has the right to continue. And OP is repaying the due which he has lost. OP already repaid a portion of the fund and also listed his bike for sale. If the bike is sold then the OP will be able to repay more funds also OP has two running projects from where OP will be able to repay a few more too.

I think he deserves a second chance too, julerz. I've participated in many bounties he's directed before. He made the payments on time. I hope he recovers from this incident quickly. One of the top managers.

No

These and other antiviruses are designed with the average user in mind, and will not protect your crypto at all. In fact some of them block public Electrum servers!

The average user is crypto-hostile, and the AVs are adjusted for that correspondingly. It may be that the AV trashes your operating system during an update, only for you to find out your wallet was also destroyed in the process, and it was one of those that don't use a seed phrase (or maybe never bothered to write it)

Do not feel offended, but you need to know the truth about antivirus. They give a false sense of security to people who actually know what they are doing (like Snowden).

Yes you will be 100% compatible with all the latest viruses and malware in the world if you continue using windows crap  
YOu obviously have no idea what you are talking about and I doubt' you ever used any linux OS longer than five minutes.
Linux is NOT an overkill and it can look and work even better than gates spyware in almost every aspect including gaming, but OP doesn't really need beautiful gaming machine.

If you want stability with minimal number of apps installed I would suggest Debian.
Linux for general use that has one of the best safety and security is probably Fedora.
If you want Linux that looks very similar like windows, than check out ZorinOS or Mint (that are both based on Ubuntu).

I do not feel offended, we all have our habits. What I wanted to point out is that Julerz12 did not have his coins stolen because he used windows. Recommending him to switch to linux as a countermeasure is like advising a driver who had an accident in a toyota to buy a volvo because they're safer. 99% of the time it's not the car, it's the driver.
Ultimately it comes down to what you do on your computer, how you use it, not to the OS. The recent situation with lukedashjr can be used as an example.

It's great that Julerz likes his linux. If he decides to stay with it, good for him, I'm sure it will improve his security. That said, if you get hacked or get your coins stolen because of a keylogger, or address switcher, or whatever else, changing the OS should not be your first priority. The OS is not the reason you were targeted. Millions of people around the world use windows or iOS and never get anything stolen. I still have coins that I got in 2015 and never had a single security breach, despite using windows all the time.

It doesn't matter what antivirus you use, if it doesn't change behaviors.
Your behavior on the internet must be very responsible. Avoid opening files that you are not 100% sure are safe, even if they come from people you know. Because that person may not have good behavior.

The antivirus can only help to deal with it, but if its behavior is not matched, there is little point in having an antivirus.

I do not want to offend you, but if you do not understand something, it does not mean at all that it is superfluous. Given what people advise the OP, it is the absence of various programs and games that is desirable for a computer that conducts financial activities. Other than that, you won't believe how beautiful and convenient Linux can be, unlike Windows. It also has graphics to create a pleasant interface, although most of its users hardly need them.

Weird to see you did not use any antivirus or Internet security software around your hack. Did your computer not have any such software many years?

I did not care to use those softwares years ago but after I joined cryptocurrency, I always have it on my computers.

Those softwares can give false positive or false negative because their 2 approaches by heuristics and behavior analysis are not perfect but having a good one is a good protection but most important is our habit.

There are many kinds of Linux desktops. I tend to switch ones in a while, and it can go from hardcore minimalistic to excessive animations (minimizing like a ghost from a magic lamp and wobbly windows in Knoppix).
See what works for you. Just know that Linux is generally unforgiving, especially on the command line it does exactly what you say, without asking if you're sure about it.

It's not about you, or if you have something to hide. It's about the fact that you were hacked just mere days ago, and there's still a high probability "someone", who might be scanning this forum, is watching/following your activity to see if he/she could find other security vulnerabilities.

Our anonymity as Bitcoin users is very important because it gives us more versatility. We have nothing to hide, true, BUT we don't want bad actors, and the government, knowing who we are, or what we do.

I would not follow the advice that linux is overkill. Follow the advice you were given, move to a known linux distribution and adapt to it. It won't be hard for you, it's not hard for anyone who knows how to use a computer and has been using one for a long time. The only people I would not recommend linux to, are those who need help with very basic tasks/who aren't able to use a computer using Mac OS or Windows without assistance. There are multiple hardened distributions that are still very easy to use. There are also some that are made to give the same look and feel as Windows or Mac OS, so you get a similar user experience with the added security benefits. Finding what you like most just comes down to research, trial and error.



Again it is nice to read that forum members are helping you. This really should be a public topic. I have made a request for cybersecurity board, which I really hope is added so that we can all become stronger together.
It does not ultimately come down to Cyber Hygiene either. Yes, this is an important part, to not be irresponsible and to not open anything you don't completely trust. However, to follow this rule and this rule only is a very outdated strategy. Hardening your firewall is also one of the important things to focus on...and just blocking all incoming connections will do the trick either. Look up "reverse shells". These pesky windows-based infections use outgoing connections to compromise you. All you need to do is visit one malicious website and it is possible that you could wind up with one on Windows. Not to mention if you miss one single update, it becomes more and more possible very quickly to face ramifications the longer the latest update is applied.

Yes. I currently have Norton on windows. Though a little too late for using it.

I'm actually liking Linux, I like how minimalist it looks and as for app compatibilities, I think running windows on VM should do the trick, my PC should be able to handle it. I've got lots of learning to do though, recently, I've been spending my time talking privately to some forum members about it, they're quite helpful.

It definitely is, really a lesson learned.
It's quite exhausting being put into this situation and I would love to have my peace of mind back again soon.

I recommend you buy a good anti virus like Norton or Kaspersky. IMO linux is an overkill if you haven't used it before. It's a bit more secure but you sacrifice some of the looks of windows and its compatibility with different programs and games. I also find windows much easier to use, more user-friendly. Ultimately it comes down to your cyber hygiene, not the OS that you're using. If you download infected files from the web, click on phishing links and carry data from other computers on USB drives, you will get data breaches sooner or later, regardless of what OS you decide to use.
I assume you know all these things, but haven't turned them into habits yet. As cruel as it may sound, being hacked is a great wake up call. My friend got all his data encrypted by malware and that was his time to start being more careful. Most people don't use any security until they get shit stolen.  

One thing I recommend is to never expose yourself more than necessary.

Otherwise I agree with you. Either the person was careful from day one, or else it will no longer be 100% like that. Just be careful not to expose yourself too much.

But if your Facebook isn't very busy, it's best to use other sales tools. Like second-hand items sales sites. And agree with the possible buyer, always places away from your house and with some movement of people.

Yes, true, I made a mistake and I'm trying all to learn all that I can to avoid that from happening again.
But in my line of work (or should I say the services that I offer), I need to be transparent with my clients. Some even ask for IDs and whatnot and it's fine.
Our government is even imposing mandatory sim card ownership registrations and even if I start living in a cave now, my previous internet presence and tracks will still be visible 'til I die. So, still no way to truly hide (at least for me).

You guys who have probably practiced absolute anonymity since the very early stage of crypto inception might have a better chance but not me.
You could say it's a necessary trade for me to gain more clients, earn more crypto and provide for my family.

I will no longer do that. Though right now, I still am (with Undeads campaign), I'm in negotiations with escrows in this forum for them to hold the funds and I'll try all possible ways to continue doing that in the next campaigns. Assurance to participants and less stress for me.

I'll do my best to keep any crypto I have safe. That means anybody crossing our fence with bad motives will be shot in the face.

Oh, I learned my lesson alright. And also, I have very few friends, too few that some might even see me as an indifferent type of person.
Also, I think everyone pretty much doxxed themselves with they joined Facebook even with their so-called "Privacy". No getting out of that.

EDIT. Deleted the FB post. I'll let some else post it. My FB account has zero reach anyways.

Bro, I support the removal of the link if you want to prove that you are selling the bike you can ask a friend to do it on your behalf and just add in the description, your Bitcointalk username to prove to unbelievers that you are selling this, or you can also lock your Facebook profile to protect your privacy, there's a better way to do this.

Some need more than one lesson. If a person is forced to be public, and this is exactly what a manager is on the forum, then he is forced to communicate with people. Anyone the OP considers a "friend" can send him a link containing malware, and once again the OP will be trapped. But yes, all his contacts are visible since 2017 and this Facebook account is not new in his today's display.

You can remain decently transparent even without doxxing yourself, and just because you think that you understand the consequences, doesn't mean that you actually do as you probably also understood the risks of storing funds on hot wallet, and we can see how that ended up.


Stealing the bike should be the least of your worries. You are a bounty manager that is regularly storing your client's money and people may get all kind of ideas in their head (read $5 wrench attack). Anyway, suit yourself.

I'm an open book. I have nothing to hide. I understand the risks and possible consequeces of giving up your privacy for the sake of transparency. I think I mentioned it somewhere before that it is pretty hard to stay anonymous nowadays, you had to be a hermit living in cave with zero connections to do that (at least that's what I think). So it's fine, what are they gonna do? come here and steal the bike? Goodluck on that. We Mindanaoans are tough as nails.
Besides, that post still needs to be public so it reaches more people so I could sell it ASAP.

I understand that you wanna prove that you are doing everything you can to repay the money lost, but I don't think that this a smart thing to do, to doxx yourself over this. Imho, you should remove that link asap.