Is my computer hacked, or something?

[question everything]

Several days ago I got an invitation for a party. The sender is from out of town so I should have just deleted but decided to view.

I had to provide an email to get something like TOS and opening it sent me into a supposedly a web page - started with http - but was empty. I decided to provide a different email, first one was a yahoo, this one a Comcast and same thing. An empty page with an address on the top tab. I was on Safari first and then on Firefox. I was on my desktop iMac.

On Firefox my computer was frozen. I texted one of the addressees who told me that the sender's computer was hacked.

I just forced quit my computer and when I restarted I selected the option of opening the previous screens. I also cleared the history of the previous hour on Safari, but not on Firefox.

Later I received the following email from

Microsoft account team

Microsoft account
Security info was added
The following security info was recently added to the Microsoft account am**[e-mail]:

Passkey

If this was you, then you can safely ignore this email.

If this wasn't you, a malicious user has access to your account. Please review your recent activity and we'll help you secure your account.

Review recent activity (a clickable message)

To opt out or change where you receive security notifications, click here.

Thanks,
The Microsoft account team
Privacy Statement
Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052

====

I did not click on anything.

No, I do not use outlook email though the first and last digits are if my real email.

My only "accounts" with Microsoft is with Excel and Word.

Today I was on Safari and again, everything was frozen so I forced quit the computer. This time I let it load as usual and it appeared OK.

I am now on Google Chrome and, fingers crossed, no problems so far.

Is the email from Microsoft legit. Shall I try to follow their suggestions?

Thanks

On edit, for some reason the email of the Microsoft team is missing. Will try again

Strange why does not the complete email show? Will type it with spaces

account - security - no reply - at accountprotection . microsoft . com

[UpInArms]

1. I have never received an email offering assistance from microsucks

I would think it was phishing

[canetoad]

2. Worm, trojan

Ransom ware - I'd say you definitely have an infection of some sort, not necessarily been hacked.

Usual procedure. Using Malwarebytes, Windows Malicious software remover, or some other reputable cleaner, scan your computer thoroughly. If you can look up how to start up in safe mode - so much the better. More chance of completely eliminating the infection.

[usonian]

3. Every bit of that sounds phony, including, and maybe especially the Microsoft message.

Solution? Well, let's ask the internet (DuckDuckGo search on your complaint) This usually works!

Search for

"Microsoft account
Security info was added
The following security info was recently added to the Microsoft account am**[e-mail]:
Passkey
If this was you, then you can safely ignore this email.
If this wasn't you, a malicious user has access to your account. Please review your recent activity and we'll help you secure your account."

Yup, the whole thing,

Results:

https://www.pcrisk.com/removal-guides/28567-security-info-was-added-email-scam

How to identify fake emails like "Security Info Was Added"
Phishing/Scam
Also Known As: Security Info Was Added phishing campaign

More about the "Security Info Was Added" scam email

This email claims that security information has been added to a Mail account. It includes a message suggesting that if the recipient recognizes this action, they can safely ignore the email. However, if the recipient did not authorize the addition of security information, it warns that a malicious user may have gained access to their account.

The email encourages the recipient to review their recent account activity and offers assistance in securing their account. Additionally, a link is provided to "Review recent activity" and an option to opt out or change preferences for receiving security notifications.

The hyperlinks within this email lead to a deceptive webpage designed to replicate the login interface of the recipient's email service provider. For instance, if the recipient utilizes Gmail, the phishing page mirrors the appearance of the Gmail sign-in portal. In either case, the primary objective of this fraudulent page is to obtain the login credentials for the email account.

Once scammers obtain email account login credentials, they can hijack an email account to launch phishing attacks on the victim's contacts. Additionally, scammers may use the stolen email credentials for identity theft or unauthorized access to other online accounts associated with the victim.

Moreover, stolen email accounts can also be sold on the dark web, contributing to a broader black market for compromised credentials. In this illicit trade, cybercriminals buy and sell access to hacked accounts, exacerbating the potential harm to individuals and organizations.

https://malware-guide.com/blog/understanding-the-security-info-was-added-email-scam-a-deceptive-threat
Understanding the Security Info Was Added Email Scam: A Deceptive Threat
December 18, 2023

Security Info Was Added Email Scam Outline

In the digital world, there’s a sneaky scam known as the Security Info Was Added Email Scam. This trickery aims to fool people into sharing their personal information on a fake website. The scam arrives as an email, pretending to be a notification from your email service provider.

The email claims that some security info was added to your email account. It says that if you know about this, you can ignore the email. But if you didn’t authorize this security addition, it warns that a bad actor might have gotten into your account. Tricky, right?

To make things worse, the email urges you to check your recent account activity and offers to help secure your account. There’s a link tempting you to “Review recent activity” and an option to change your preferences for getting security notifications. But be cautious!

Here’s the catch: If you click on these links, they take you to a fake webpage. This page looks just like the login page of your email service provider, like Gmail. But, surprise! It’s a trap. The main goal of this fake page is to snatch your login details – your username and password.

Once the scammers have your login info, they can take over your email account. They might use it to trick your friends with more scams or even steal your identity. And it gets scarier – stolen email accounts can be sold on the dark web. In this secret online market, cybercriminals buy and sell hacked accounts, making the problem bigger and scarier for everyone involved.

So, the lesson here is to stay alert and be careful with unexpected emails. Don’t rush to click on links, especially if they’re asking for your personal info. It’s always good to double-check and make sure you’re not falling into a sneaky online trap.

[question everything]

4. Thank you very much. I have an old version of Malwarebytes, scan the computer and it came clean.

So just ignored everything.

The computer has been slow recently and I was going to talk to Apple Support. For next week.

Am still worried that everything was frozen but so far this evening, on Firefox is OK.

[NewHendoLib]

5. This is a new scam. I've received three such invitations from people I know in the last few weeks -

details impossible to sort out from just the email title. I decided they were spam, the accounts were hacked, and tossed them

It is always something new for spammer/hackers.

[moniss]

6. My warning to you is that the more you wait and use your computer the worse it

will get. I've been hacked badly years ago and I give you the following advice.

Disconnect from any wi-fi or internet. Then shut down your computer. Now call either a computer repair or if you have Norton or something similar you can call them but the repair shop would be better. When I say call I mean call. No e-mail under any circumstances even from a phone. The shop will have you bring in the affected computer and they will rid the machine of the problem. Norton and others can do so as well but they aren't what they used to be and they can be more limited in what they will do for you even under their paid services.

When it happened to me the Norton guy took remote control of my machine, restarted it in safe mode and then spent the next couple of hours going through my machine. He said I could watch him or not and I did watch since I wanted to see what was being done and how it's done. He downloaded and ran a program that would scan way deep into the registry etc. and it would stop and highlight a file in red that would have weird, atypical words describing the file for example. Then he would use that program to isolate the file and if the infected file was a necessary system file he would note that. It was a long, long process but it worked and it showed me just how deep and problematic the problems can embed themselves.

Once he was done removing things, there were various restarts and analysis of system files to be sure what needed to be there was correct and uninfected. All files were then scanned and likewise verified as OK. Then more restarts and then we were done. But a computer shop will do this "cleaning" for you for not that much usually. Before the Norton guy I had it done one other time and my guy charged me $100.00 and I had my computer back in 2 days. That time the guy copied my files of documents, pics etc. and then quarantined them, checked them, noted my software that was in addition to Windows 98, wiped my hard drive completely, reinstalled a clean version of Windows, did a new install of my other programs and then loaded my documents and pics etc.

Don't keep trying to do anything at all on your computer even if Chrome etc. seems OK for awhile. The problem will continue to spread on your computer and eventually that freeze might have you lose/freeze almost everything.