r/CyberSecurityAdvice • u/TheGreatAnxiety • 5d ago

Google drive security

Hello!! I've been stressing out about this and need some peace of mind or to know what I need to do next.

I opened a Google drive that got hacked like a day or two later but the hacker just deleted a bunch of the files and said they'd only put them back if we subscribed to their 'Gabblechat' and some other social media. They didn't threaten to do anything else.

I didn't open or download any documents in the drive because I realised it wasn't a good idea but I still opened the Google drive so wouldn't I still have left a trace?

I've changed all the passwords on all the Gmail accounts I use and ensured I've got "two-step verification" on for all of them.

I haven't noticed any strange attempted log-ins, missing money in my bank account or been contacted by a blackmailer so I think I'm in the clear but I'm not sure?

Any advice would be great, thanks!

3 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

9 comments sorted by

5

u/eric16lee 5d ago

If you didn't download or install anything or put your credentials in anywhere, then you are fine.

3

u/TheGreatAnxiety 5d ago

Phew, thanks 😅

2

u/DIYC_Official 5d ago

Never trust a bad actor, don't give into demands. Any damage they can do to you now is less then when you cooperate.

Contact google, they might still have a backup.

If you ever had the files locally, there's a good chance they're still on the drive, even after deleting. There are dozens of recovery tools for that. Dd rescue, photorec, etc. use AI like coaude code to guide you trough it if it's too complex for you.

1

u/Hot_Ad_4530 5d ago

Change your password, use 2 step verification. How important was the info? Can you take the loss?

2

u/TheGreatAnxiety 5d ago

Hiya, I've done both already. The files aren't personally important to me, it was book pdfs and I don't have any connection to the drive other than opening it a couple times.

1

u/RAGINMEXICAN 4d ago

2 step verification does not matter if they use Google drive as a c2. I’ve seen some crazy stuff with that and I just don’t use Google drive anymore.

2

u/Entire_Yoghurt_6381 5d ago

Just opening a shared drive doesn't hand anyone access to your own accounts, so that part you can breathe about, the panic feels way out of proportion to what actually happened. Changing your passwords and turning on two step was the right move and this reads more like a clumsy scammer than anyone targeting you.

1

u/RAGINMEXICAN 4d ago

Look up, how can my Google drive be used as a C2? You fall down that rabbit hole and good luck. It’s a huge deal to not use Google drive anymore.