Guide
Your PC says it was hacked, don't turn it off, with a countdown? What to do
You just opened a cheat, a mod or a file from a stranger, and now a Notepad window or a message box says the PC was hacked and must not be turned off, with a countdown and a Discord link to talk to them. This is a scare program. They want you to rush into the link or pay. Don't.
Right away
- Unplug the LAN cable or turn off Wi Fi first. Cut the internet.
- Hold the power button until the PC turns off. Turning it off does not make anything worse. The countdown is only there to scare you.
- Never open the Discord link or website in the message, never send money, never send anyone a password or code.
Change passwords from your phone
Use your phone or another PC, never the one that was hit. Start with Discord, because these programs like to steal Discord accounts to send the link on. Change the password, turn on two step sign in under My Account, and check Devices for anything you don't know. Log those out. Then change the passwords of your email, Steam, Rockstar and bank apps, and turn on two step sign in wherever you can.
Find what you downloaded
Think about which file you opened just before this happened. Look in Downloads for the newest files. That one is the problem: never open it again and never pass it to friends.
Clean the PC
If you connect again only to scan, use Microsoft Defender Offline scan in Windows Security, Virus & threat protection, Scan options. It restarts and scans before Windows starts. But if that file ever got admin rights (you pressed Yes when Windows asked), the safest way is to reinstall Windows. Get the installer from microsoft.com on another PC, and back up only photos and documents, never .exe files or downloads.
Never turn Defender off and never press Allow on a file Defender warns about just to make a cheat run. That is how most of these cases start.
Keep it from happening again
Download programs only from their maker's own site. Be careful with cheats and mods shared in groups: they are the easiest way to slip in scare programs and account stealers. Not sure a file is safe? Ask in the Discord before you open it. The PC Check page of Savenz Optimizer has Check a file: drop a .reg, .bat, .cmd or .ps1 file on it to see what it would change, without running it.