Have you ever lost data due to infections?

Have you been infected and/or lost info because of it?

  • None of my computers have ever been infected! (that I'm aware of)

    Votes: 4 23.5%

  • I've had infections, but never lost data or had to perform recovery techniques

    Votes: 9 52.9%

  • I've had infections, lost data, but was able to recover it all

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • I've had infections, lost data, and was only able to recover some of it

    Votes: 3 17.6%

  • I've lost the lot due to infection in the past...

    Votes: 2 11.8%
  • Total voters
    17
Orpheous

Orpheous

New member
Guru
Local time
2:57 AM
Messages
542
Location
Cairns, Australia
I'm just curious to know:

How many of you have ever lost information due to an infection of some sort?
Did you manage to recover all or any of your data?
How has it changed your approach to system security now?

Multiple answers are allowed, if you only choose 1 otion, please make it the worst that has happened to you!
Please be honest, I'm hoping that seeing some of these results and answers may help to encourage some of our members who are relatively new to computing to take more interest in their security policies and setup.

I sincerely hope that you never have to experience the loss of important data, especially that of a sentimental nature... Stay safe :)
 

My Computer My Computer

OS
XP Pro/Vista Ultimate (64)/Windows 7 Ultimate Signature Edition(64)
CPU
Core 2 Duo E8500 @ stock
Motherboard
Gigabyte EP45-UD3R
Memory
8Gb (4 X 2Gb) Corsair Dominator 1066Mhz DDR2
Graphics Card(s)
XFX ATI Radeon 4870 1Gb
Sound Card
Onboard 7.1
Monitor(s) Displays
BenQ E2200Hd, Asus VW161D, HP L1506
Screen Resolution
1920 X 1080
Hard Drives
Seagate 7200.12 500Gb
2 X Hitachi 1Tb
PSU
CoolerMaster 650 EPD
Case
Thermaltake
Cooling
2 X Noctua 120mm's, Stock Intel
Keyboard
Logitech
Mouse
Logitech
Orpheuous! is this a response to your earlier post lol....
 

My Computer My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Dell XPS 8000/HP G70 258US
OS
Windows 7 64 bit build 7600
CPU
Intel Core i5 750/Intel Pentium Duo T4200 2.00 ghz
Memory
6 gig/4 gig
Graphics Card(s)
ATI Radeon HD 4350/Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
Sound Card
Realtek/Conexant Smartaudio High Definition Device
Monitor(s) Displays
Two
Screen Resolution
1920x1080/1440x900
Hard Drives
750/250 gig
Internet Speed
24 mb
I've had infections over the past 20 years that I have been avidly using computers. I'm not sure that I have ever personally lost any actual "data" as I have always had good backup routines in place. The infections that I got, often just littered up my machine or another machine on the network with files that had to be removed. At home, the last 8 years or so have been much been all clean. (and that just so happens to be approx the same time I stopped doing warez based stuff and quit pirating software....that's not likely a coincidence.)

From a work perspective, I've had the network infected from employees when things like Melissa and I Love You first started making the rounds. So, I've had a few days of clean time and running around...but no real fallout from data loss.
 

My Computer My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Self-Built in July 2009
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate x64
CPU
Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz OC'd to 3.40Ghz
Motherboard
Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R rev. 1.1, F12 BIOS
Memory
8GB G.Skill PI DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12 timings
Graphics Card(s)
EVGA 1280MB Nvidia GeForce GTX570
Sound Card
Realtek ALC899A 8 channel onboard audio
Monitor(s) Displays
23" Acer x233H
Screen Resolution
1920x1080
Hard Drives
Intel X25-M 80GB Gen 2 SSD
Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, 32MB cache. WD1001FALS
PSU
Corsair 620HX modular
Case
Antec P182
Cooling
stock
Keyboard
ABS M1 Mechanical
Mouse
Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
Internet Speed
15/2 cable modem
Other Info
Windows and Linux enthusiast. Logitech G35 Headset.
hmmm can't you just gain back any file you lost with a program like restoration or pc tools file recover or recuva? :huh:
though pparks...:hot: isn't that kinda your fault for going to bad sites XD
to be honest, ive lost data before too, on my external hdd, all my .exe files disappeared. However, it appeared to be more of a disk problem (darn exfat file system) rather than a virus problem (confirmed by downloading malicious software removal tool, and live onecare online safety scanner.
 

My Computer My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Dell XPS 8000/HP G70 258US
OS
Windows 7 64 bit build 7600
CPU
Intel Core i5 750/Intel Pentium Duo T4200 2.00 ghz
Memory
6 gig/4 gig
Graphics Card(s)
ATI Radeon HD 4350/Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
Sound Card
Realtek/Conexant Smartaudio High Definition Device
Monitor(s) Displays
Two
Screen Resolution
1920x1080/1440x900
Hard Drives
750/250 gig
Internet Speed
24 mb
Only once in 1994 when i bought a brand new pc with lotus office but without antivirus i enter an infected disc from my school....i have to return it... ups.
 

My Computer My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom Build
OS
Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bits 7601 Multiprocessor Free Service Pack 1
CPU
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3770K CPU @ 3.50GHz
Motherboard
ASUSTeK Computer INC. P8Z68-V PRO GEN3
Memory
8.00 GB
Graphics Card(s)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670
Sound Card
Omega Striker
Monitor(s) Displays
Viewsonic vx2250wm
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1080 x 32 bits (4294967296 colors) @ 60 Hz
Hard Drives
V9CPETXT
Seagate 1TB.
PSU
Corsair Gold Series AX850
Case
nvidia 690 advanced II
Cooling
Air
Never had a virus or a piece of spyware on any of the pc's i use.
 
Capella said:
hmmm can't you just gain back any file you lost with a program like restoration or pc tools file recover or recuva? :huh:
Click to expand...
If you have access to another pc, or boot cd's with recovery software you can often get most, if not all of it back. It depends on the severity of the infections payload, the amount of time invested in recovery and the capabilities of the software used.

I lost a lot of info about 11 years ago with Windows 98, but had a lot of it backed up on CD's. From memory it was mostly music and a few documents that I lost.
 

My Computer My Computer

OS
XP Pro/Vista Ultimate (64)/Windows 7 Ultimate Signature Edition(64)
CPU
Core 2 Duo E8500 @ stock
Motherboard
Gigabyte EP45-UD3R
Memory
8Gb (4 X 2Gb) Corsair Dominator 1066Mhz DDR2
Graphics Card(s)
XFX ATI Radeon 4870 1Gb
Sound Card
Onboard 7.1
Monitor(s) Displays
BenQ E2200Hd, Asus VW161D, HP L1506
Screen Resolution
1920 X 1080
Hard Drives
Seagate 7200.12 500Gb
2 X Hitachi 1Tb
PSU
CoolerMaster 650 EPD
Case
Thermaltake
Cooling
2 X Noctua 120mm's, Stock Intel
Keyboard
Logitech
Mouse
Logitech
In over 20 years I have had one infection which I caught and got rid of before any damage was done.
 

My Computer My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Home built
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate 32 bit
CPU
Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.00GHz
Motherboard
ASUS P4P800-VM Motherboard Chipset: Intel 865G + ICH5
Memory
2.50 GB RAM
Graphics Card(s)
NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GS
Sound Card
SoundMax Integrated Digital Audio (Chip)
Monitor(s) Displays
ViewSonic VX 1962 wm
Screen Resolution
1680 X 1050
Hard Drives
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 80 GB
ST380215A ATA Device 18.6 GB
Western Digital "My Book" external hard drive 750 GB
Cooling
Fan based
Keyboard
Microsoft Comfort Curve Keyboard 2000 v10 USB
Mouse
Logitec optic USB
Internet Speed
3.01 Mb/s download 0.64 Mb/s upload
Capella said:
though pparks...:hot: isn't that kinda your fault for going to bad sites XD
Click to expand...
Yes, back in the old days (maybe 8-10 years ago), going to the sites and getting infected was clearly my own fault.

Getting hit with things at work, has never been my fault. It's always been another employee that got something on the day it came out before any of the AV companies had virus update files. Most of these were attachments that came in via email and people who weren't smart enough to not click on the link.
 

My Computer My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Self-Built in July 2009
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate x64
CPU
Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz OC'd to 3.40Ghz
Motherboard
Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R rev. 1.1, F12 BIOS
Memory
8GB G.Skill PI DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12 timings
Graphics Card(s)
EVGA 1280MB Nvidia GeForce GTX570
Sound Card
Realtek ALC899A 8 channel onboard audio
Monitor(s) Displays
23" Acer x233H
Screen Resolution
1920x1080
Hard Drives
Intel X25-M 80GB Gen 2 SSD
Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, 32MB cache. WD1001FALS
PSU
Corsair 620HX modular
Case
Antec P182
Cooling
stock
Keyboard
ABS M1 Mechanical
Mouse
Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
Internet Speed
15/2 cable modem
Other Info
Windows and Linux enthusiast. Logitech G35 Headset.
I keep downloading new viruses to play with my anti virus for testing purpose. Sometimes, I end up messing things. ;)
 

My Computer My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Samsung NP530U4B-S02IN
OS
Windows® 8 Pro (64-bit)
CPU
Intel® Core™ i5 Processor 2467M (1.60GHz, 3MB L3 Cache)
Motherboard
Samsung Electronics
Memory
6GB DDR3 System Memory at 1,333MHz (on BD 4GB + 2GB x 1)
Graphics Card(s)
AMD Radeon™ HD7550M 1GB DDR3 (Ext. Graphic)
Sound Card
Realtek High Definition Audio
Monitor(s) Displays
35.56cm (14.0) SuperBright 300nit HD LED Display
Screen Resolution
1366x768
Hard Drives
1TB S-ATA II Hard Drive (5400RPM) with ExpressCache 16GB SSD
Internet Speed
sucks
Antivirus
Microsoft Security Essentials
Browser
Google Chrome (Sync enabled)
Personally my own machines are pretty well protected - I also have a reliable backup so my own data is fairly safe (I think).

Where I do have a problem is with other systems - I have a policy to completely wipe and reconstruct my tool kit pen-drive on a regular basis and to use a DVD based Toolkit where I am unsure of the status of the client system.

With today's malware it is likely that any actual data loss will be from an error in the malware.

The aim of malware is now to gain access to to banking details and the like or to control the system for botnet purposes.

If the malware is written well the system user should never know that they are infected - this is the scary part ;)
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
    ChillBlast - Custom to my design
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro x64 [Latest Release and Release Preview]
    CPU
    Ryzen 9 5950X, 3.8 - 5.2 MHz
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime X570-Pro
    Memory
    64GB [2 x 32GB] DDR4 3200MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1650 Ti
    Sound Card
    On-board SPDIF to 5.1 System + HDMI [5.1 system]
    Monitor(s) Displays
    32" UHD 32 Bit HDR Monitor + 43" UHD 4K 32Bit HDR TV
    Screen Resolution
    2 x 3840 x 2160 @60Hz
    Hard Drives
    1TB M2 SSD OS, 500GB Fast Access SSD, 2 x 8TB Data + Various Externals from 1TB to 4TB, 10TB NAS
    PSU
    NZXT C750 80 PLUS Gold 750W Modular PSU
    Case
    Workstation Case [Matt Black]
    Cooling
    NZXT Kraken X63 280mm CPU Cooler +2x Quiet Case fans
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless MX Keys & K400 + others
    Mouse
    Logitech Wireless MX Master 3S
    Internet Speed
    920 MB Down 50 MB Up
    Antivirus
    BitDefender Total Security Pro
    Browser
    Chrome (always run latest Non-Beta)
    Other Info
    Also run ...
    Laptop - Quad 8GB - Windows 10 Pro x64
    Nexus 7 Android tablet x2
    Samsung 10.2" tablet
    Blackview TAB 8 4G Android Tablet c/w Keyboard
    Wacom Intuos Pro Medium Pen Pad
    Wacom Intuos Pro Small Pen Pad
    Wacom Expresskeys Remote
    Loopdeck+ Graphics Controller
    Shuttle Pro v2 Control
  • Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model Number
    Dell XPS 17 10750H
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro x64 Latest RP
    CPU
    Intel I7 10750H 5.0GHz
    Motherboard
    Dell XPS
    Memory
    32GB [2x16GB] DDR4 2933 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    nVidia GTX1650Ti 4 GB GDDR6
    Sound Card
    Stock [Realtek] 4 Speaker
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17" IPS UHD+ Infinity Edge Touchscreen
    Screen Resolution
    3840 x 2400
    Hard Drives
    2TB M2 NVMe, 4TB External + various 500GB & 1TB External NVMe (also have access to spinner HDD from
    PSU
    Stock
    Case
    Stock XPS Aluminium & Carbon Fibre
    Cooling
    Stock - Active Fan Control
    Keyboard
    Backlit + Various Logitech
    Mouse
    Stock Track Pad + Logitech MX Trackball
    Internet Speed
    72 MB Down 18MB Up
    Browser
    Chrome
    Other Info
    Also run ...
    Laptop - Quad 8GB - Windows 10 Pro x64
    Nexus 7 Android tablet x2
    10.2" tablet
    Sony Z3 Android Smartphone
    Wacom Intuos Pro Medium Pen Pad
    Wacom Intuos Pro Small Pen Pad
    Wacom Expresskeys Remote
    Loopdeck+ Graphics Controller
    Shuttle Pro v2 Control Pad
    10TB NAS
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