Re: Shaking a hacker

[email protected] wrote:

> On Wed, 30 Nov 2022 03:18:35 -0000 (UTC), anonymous
> <[email protected]> wrote:
> 
> > If you have signs your windows machine is being hacked, but virus
> > checks show nothing. Other than reinstall the OS after wiping your
> > drive what can you do to shake the hackers. Will reboot or change
> > of mac address do it? I don't believe any of these AV programs
> > identify malware fully.  Microsoft itself I suspect is hacking
> > their OS's. And probably most machines have hardware built in back
> > doors. Or am I just wearing my tin hat again?
> 
> Use this program and forget about AVs and Security Suites.
> 
> I've been using it for a few years now without any other "Security"
> program.  It's a freebie.
> 
> http://www.toolwiz.com/lead/toolwiz_time_freeze.php

Years ago when I was responsible for school computer labs and library
computers used by patrons, I installed a product called Deep Freeze to
protect the computers from changes, both unintentional and malicious.
When they went to a subscription service that meant paying every year,
I switched to a product called Shadow Defender.  It is not free, but
the last I knew it was a life time license including free upgrades.

Basically it keeps track or writes to disk every change made to the
system while it is being used and when you reboot, everything is
restored to the way it was when it was "frozen".

I still use it on my personal Windows 7 PC to this day, and not only
does it protect the PC from permanent installation of malware, but it
makes testing new software and updates a breeze.  If you do an install
and are happy with how the new software or the update performs, you can
disable Shadow Defender and do the install again to make it permanent.
If you are unhappy with how it works, you only have to reboot the PC to
remove all traces of the install.  It does a much better job than an
uninstall at removing all files and system changes, and it is much
quicker.

The only downside is that if the install requires a reboot before use
to fully test the new software, you will have to turn Shadow Defender
off which defeats its purpose.  Most times the reboot is not really
necessary, or at least the software will perform well enough, to
determine if it warrants doing a regular back up before testing it
further.

I have no connection to Shadow Defender other than using the product.
To me it seems to work well and it has saved me a lot of headaches and
reinstalls over the years.  In the case of public PCs, it also protects
the user from the possibility of leaving files and data on the PC that
can be easily viewed by the next user.   All it takes is a reboot
before leaving.