Have you ever lost data due to infections?

[Orpheous]

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

 

[Capella]

Orpheuous! is this a response to your earlier post lol....

 

[pparks1]

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.

 

[Capella]

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... 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.

 

[smiths22]

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.

 

[stew2]

Never had a virus or a piece of spyware on any of the pc's i use.

 

[Orpheous]

hmmm can't you just gain back any file you lost with a program like restoration or pc tools file recover or recuva? :huh:

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.

 

[CarlTR6]

In over 20 years I have had one infection which I caught and got rid of before any damage was done.

 

[pparks1]

though pparks... isn't that kinda your fault for going to bad sites XD

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.

 

[Dinesh]

I keep downloading new viruses to play with my anti virus for testing purpose. Sometimes, I end up messing things.

 

[Barman58]

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