Forum Discussion

David3110800's avatar
David3110800
Joining in
8 months ago

Private information

Recently I have had a privacy leak due to someone assessing my router. Personal details including finances and recent purchases have become gossip between certain people including work colleagues, but I have not told any one of them as I keep these certain topics to myself. Is there any help I can get from virgin media to give me information as of who n how this privacy issue has arisen? I want to take legal action but don’t have the proof as I’m not that tech savvy! 

  • If you are not technical why do you state with certainty that someone has accessed your router? What is your technical (not office gossip) evidence to date? I would say it's more likely that someone has been indiscrete rather than someone has been hacking your kit but am open to being proved wrong. Change your passwords and up your two factor authentication in the mean time if still bothered. 

  • goslow's avatar
    goslow
    Alessandro Volta

    You are unlikely to get any useful help from VM on this issue (and, as per Cardiffman282, the explanation to your issue is more likely to be something more mundane than a cyber security/hacking issue).

    If your private information really has been accessed it is most likely to be via someone who has had access to your home/device(s) or someone who has guessed your login info or found that out by some means or other (phishing, direct observation, malware, remote access software etc.)

    Do the obvious things like change passwords to a unique and secure password for all your online accounts, services, devices. Change your security questions. Enable 2FA, where available. Enable biometric logins where available. Scan devices for malware. After that, continue to monitor the situation.

  • Client62's avatar
    Client62
    Alessandro Volta

    Work colleagues know about your online activity.  

    That suggests the online activity was conducted on a office laptop.

    Perhaps one that has far more activity logging software on it that you ever imagined.


    • David3110800's avatar
      David3110800
      Joining in

      No office laptop only use home broadband guessing its the neighnours 

      • ravenstar68's avatar
        ravenstar68
        Very Insightful Person

        Unless the neighbour's are experienced hackers then it's unlikely they've been able to access your router, and even if they were, unless you've changed the default settings, it's unlikely.

        Virgin Media long ago changed the default passwords of all their routers to have random wifi passwords out of the box, as well as the Admin logon password.

        The way hackers were able to get in to routers in the past was a dictionary attack with a weak password, or if remote access was enabled, via a known admin password

        Routers by default, including Virgin Media routers have remote access to the admin interface disabled by default.

         

  • Also consider machine shredding all hardcopy letters, bills, invoices, and receipts and buying from companies that only deliver in discrete packaging. Lastly consider Ring doorbells and cctv. It seems you do indeed have very nosy neighbours. 

  • Client62's avatar
    Client62
    Alessandro Volta

    Goodness only knows what the fellow has bought online.

    Perhaps a half tonne of rose fertilizer,
    equal parts of brown sugar
    and length of waxed rope !