Member Since: 19 Feb 2013
Location: North Yorkshire
Posts: 1831
Dangers of allowing programme updates with ANYDESK.
Can I just make you all aware of the dangers of allowing programme updates from recognised software companies.
At he beginning of March I had problems with my printer so I went to its manufacturers web site as I have in the past and reinstalled the printer software and just clicked through the allow downloads also on the same day I had updates to download from Microsoft which I allowed. Some where along the line it appears that a programme app called ANYDESK has been downloaded as it was date stamped the same day and time as the downloads. I do not simply click on allow for all downloads and updates but check which ones I want on my PC.
Yesterday 14 days after the download I found myself locked out of my PC and someone/something had taken over and was typing in a blank notepad, had my emails open and my security programme settings which has a vault on a separate password., Having shut down the PC I spent 30 minutes franticly cancelling credit and Bank cards, I then turned to McAfee for help and spent over two hours on the telephone with a technician trying to defeat ANYDESK and its handler who on three occasions took over my PC and shut out McAfee. The Tech described whoever it was a very clever as the programme had been deleted but a trigger had been left behind that not only reinstalled the programme but shut McAfee out. It was only after he was able to talk me though a quick way to get into my PC via a very complicated way did he defeat the user.
It appears according to McAfee that ANYDESK has an authorised certificate from Microsoft and no security programme will stop it, it was developed by a German company for I.T. to take authorised control of PC's to carry out repairs but has been hacked and is not illegally attached to legit downloads and the bad guys are using it for ransom.
So to close if you see anything that has ANYDESK on it stop the download.Don't make old people mad.
We don't like being old in the first place,
so it doesn't take much to us off.
Richard
17th Mar 2020 9:09am
Martin Site Admin
Member Since: 02 Apr 2007
Location: Hook Norton
Posts: 6633
AnyDesk itself is legit, you have have ended up on a spoof printer driver page and inadvertently installed a rogue driver which also set up AnyDesk with the "unattended access" mode enabled and a password of the hackers' choice.
It's not AnyDesk itself that is the problem, it's a brilliant tool. As ever, it's the misuse of it. 1988 90 Td5 NAS soft top
2015 D90 XS SW
17th Mar 2020 9:57am
ARC99
Member Since: 19 Feb 2013
Location: North Yorkshire
Posts: 1831
Martin,
I understand what you are saying but I can assure you and others that I don't blithely click on an web site unless I know it and have the printer manufactures web site stored as a clickable link and have had it for years.Don't make old people mad.
We don't like being old in the first place,
so it doesn't take much to us off.
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