Hackers

After a year long hiatus, and despite a backlog of entries to catch up on, I decided to open up the new year with a post on hackers. Those vial scum that infect our devices for fun and/or profit.

One in particular, the Windows Security 2012 viruses, and its predecessors (2010 and 2011 versions) have given me quite the headache. Now, I'm tech and internet savvy enough that I don't get hit by most viruses (this is the only one I've had an issue with). I have a good antivirus software that I keep up to date and running at all times. I surf sites that I'm familiar with and "know" to be safe. I don't click links offering me huge prizes as I'm the 1 billionth visitor. I admit to one flaw (that I will be fixing soon), and that is a tendency to run with my firewall off due to making some gaming, and more particularly subversioning commits of programs run a great deal smoother.

When I first got this virus in early 2010, I was still relatively noobish enough that I didn't want want to go digging around in my registry on my own. So I shelled out a couple hundred bucks to let techboys dive in and deal with it. At this time, the virus was pretty nasty already, writing itself into your system restore checkpoints, and shutting down all programs and internet access except to its own site.

The idea behind this virus is simple enough: put together a rogue program that looks believably to be a legitimate Windows issue, then  charge unwary users to "register" it, and at the same time steal credit card information. I will give them props for at least trying to get something out of the deal. The only thing worse than a hacker-for-profit is a hacker-for-shits-and-giggles.

I went the next couple few years with no trouble from this nasty little shit. However, the creators seem to be out for blood as I've been hit with it 3 times in just the last couple of months now. I think I've finally nailed down the site I was getting it from (actually a long-time favorite of mine. I do not think its the creators of the site installed the worm, but that the creators were simply able to worm it into their system).

And the little shits have been doing their homework. The first time I got it, I ran into a couple small snags uninstalling it myself, but was able to dig into the registry and get rid of it. The second time, however, they had the virus shutting down access to the registry editor, the system restore feature (the "nice" one that rolls back your system a few days and saves all your files, regardless of when they were created rather than wiping your hard drive to factory oblivion), and the command prompt.

This latest incarnation, however, shows further ingenuity. They killed system admin rights, disabled the task manager, removed visibility to external drives, hid the system protection feature so system restore couldn't be turned on at all, and after entering in a fake registration code from one of the many removal guides available shut down my network drivers regardless of what level of Safe Mode I booted up in.

After three hours of rage and tears, I was finally able to make some headway against this beast. I really, really, really do not want to wipe my computer. It wouldn't be the end of the world, with my files backed up. The only files I'd lose I care at all about are my Skyrim saves. My bigger problem is that I would then have to reinstall a lot of programs. Besides taking up time, some (like my Windows Office) I'm out of installs on. Others I have difficulty locating the disks for, and all in all, would take me a good couple of days to get everything back up and running, patched and ready to roll.

So this boils down to a great deal of rage on my part. People like this are scum, and should focus on getting out of their parents' basements and getting real jobs.While I'm sure they rake in a fair amount of money, its at the cost of other people in the worst way. Besides the money and identity theft, which can seriously fuck a person over anyways, it also kills what, to many people, is the most important device in their lives. Family pictures and videos lost, access to internet to manage the household, hours of games, important documents, etc. All possibly lost. Or, if it can all be saved, it is at the cost of several hours of work. Hours that often need to be put to use elsewhere, working, sleeping, cleaning, relaxing from a long day, etc.

How many of us really have the time for this kind of shit? All so some asshole can get rich off of the portion of the populace that doesn't know how to recognize this kind of scumbaggery. While the tech savvy like myself just hang our heads in shame for getting a virus and can dig in and beat it, there's a large number of people with no clue how to recognize this kind of thing.

Its easy to brush it off as "their own damn fault" for not learning the proper ways to protect themselves, but who teaches them? Most computers are up and running out of the box in minutes, with no alerts to this kind of thing. Ask a tech at a store, and they'll simply offer a good anti-virus (which Windows Security can get past).

I will give the creators of the Windows Security virus that they're smart. Every new iteration of the virus ruthlessly cuts around the various ways to counteract it and kill it. And thanks to them, I've learned how to rip the very heart out of my computer, beat into submission, and and shove it back in.

But it's cost me so much in terms of time. And ironclad security (if there is such a thing) quickly starts to interfere with legitimate applications and usages.

And with the rise in the use of smartphones and similar devices, those are quickly becoming vulnerable to hacking as well.

It's despicable, its disgusting, and it's costing victims time, money, and possibly leading to serious, life-changing problems.

And sadly, there's no way to stop it. As long as there's a profit to be made, and the internet and constant connectivity is such an increasingly critical part of our lives, we will never be free from this kind of threat. People will do terrible things to each other for fun and profit, just as we've done for millennia.

The common response to rants like this from many people is "Lol, then buy a Mac". But as more and more people buy Macs, they'll start getting hacked just as much as their Windows counterparts. Yes, Windows has problems that are undeniable. But Macs are not superior or immune. To be perfectly honest, the main reason Macs aren't hacked as often is that most of their users are artists, hipsters, and college students. Few of whom have anything worth stealing. PCs are targeted because the virus will hit the widest base, and are also far more likely to hit more novice users who will fall victim to the scams. As one person put it, if Fort Knox and the cookie jar had the same level of security, which would you be more likely to steal from?

So there it stands. Hackers are complete scum in my view. Even so-called "political hackers" like Anonymous, who claim to be fighting for truth, justice and the American way when they're just bullying anyone who disagrees with them.

But the vast bulk of my hatred lies with the creators of the Windows Security virus. As I pass 4 hours of working on getting rid of your worm, for not the first time, I want to find you. The things I want to do to you make Guantanamo Bay look like a five star day spa.

I will find you. And when I do, I'm going Liam Neeson on your ass.