Question Is it possible that someone hacked my laptop BIOS?

[HAYHAYPAULA]

Several years ago, my neighbor hacked my laptop through my vintage Wi-Fi router (wpa-2!). During his repeated modifications to my hard drive, Windows 7 at the time, he mistakenly thought my CPU was 64-bit. Apparently the Toshiba L305 laptop came in 32 or 64-bit configurations. I started seeing 64-bit descriptions, etc. My model number is L305-S5955.

At the time, he even made it impossible to run the program HiJack This! Ergo my decision to just replace the entire drive!

I finally got another clean hard drive, and installed Windows 10 Home on it today. As it was installing, I was only given the choices of 64-bit versions of Windows 10 to choose from.

Is it possible that he was able to modify my BIOS as well? When I entered BIOS today to boot from my USB drive, I saw that my BIOS is version 2.0. I googled BIOS updates for these laptops, and it seems I might be able to upgrade it to version 2.20 from MediaFire. (Filename: slb8v220.exe)

Backstory: I have learned a lot about computer repair by breaking them, or helping others with their machines. But I have had very little formal training. Since he has throttled my router down to 72mb out of the available 1400, I kept trying things to get him off of my Wi-Fi. Hence his counter moves to stop me from stopping him.

Thanks I'm advance for any help! Paula

 

[rgd1101]

MediaFire? why are you downloading anything from unofficial website

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-10-specifications
as long as the cpu supported. the only different is how much ram

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-Pentium-Dual-Core-T2390-Notebook-Processor.35522.0.html

 

[kanewolf]

Several years ago, my neighbor hacked my laptop through my vintage Wi-Fi router (wpa-2!). During his repeated modifications to my hard drive, Windows 7 at the time, he mistakenly thought my CPU was 64-bit. Apparently the Toshiba L305 laptop came in 32 or 64-bit configurations. I started seeing 64-bit descriptions, etc. My model number is L305-S5955.

At the time, he even made it impossible to run the program HiJack This! Ergo my decision to just replace the entire drive!

I finally got another clean hard drive, and installed Windows 10 Home on it today. As it was installing, I was only given the choices of 64-bit versions of Windows 10 to choose from.

Is it possible that he was able to modify my BIOS as well? When I entered BIOS today to boot from my USB drive, I saw that my BIOS is version 2.0. I googled BIOS updates for these laptops, and it seems I might be able to upgrade it to version 2.20 from MediaFire. (Filename: slb8v220.exe)

Backstory: I have learned a lot about computer repair by breaking them, or helping others with their machines. But I have had very little formal training. Since he has throttled my router down to 72mb out of the available 1400, I kept trying things to get him off of my Wi-Fi. Hence his counter moves to stop me from stopping him.

Thanks I'm advance for any help! Paula

Generally, BIOS access requires physical access. Has anyone had physical access?

 

[Ralston18]

@HAYHAYPAULA

Change your wifi network password to a very strong password.

 

[HAYHAYPAULA]

Generally, BIOS access requires physical access. Has anyone had physical access?

No one has been able to touch it, it isn't a 64-bit system but it thinks it is now. I can't fathom how that could be with a completely different hard drive. Went from a Seagate 500gb to a Hitachi 500gb that was a used drive but had been wiped.

 

[HAYHAYPAULA]

@HAYHAYPAULA

Change your wifi network password to a very strong password.

Yeah, on an old wpa-2 router, it doesn't make any difference! They are easily hacked! I did change the SSID, turned off displaying the SSID, and turned on MAC filtering. I changed the router's sign on name and password, etc. I even removed the antenna to reduce the distance the Wi-Fi signal would travel. At some point I discovered that he had throttled it down to 72mb of my bandwidth. Thanks for the suggestion though!

 

[HAYHAYPAULA]

MediaFire? why are you downloading anything from unofficial website

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-10-specifications
as long as the cpu supported. the only different is how much ram

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-Pentium-Dual-Core-T2390-Notebook-Processor.35522.0.html

I found a BIOS upgrade on MediaFire because it was the only one out in the wild. Toshiba no longer offers the file! Microsoft never did that I know of!

 

[Ralston18]

FYI:

https://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch001580.htm

Three immediate thoughts:

1) Does the neighbor have the ability to gain physical access to your devices: i.e., modem, router, laptop? If so how and why? Do you have any way to determine if, for example, the laptop or router have been physically accessed and changed? Does the neighbor have access to a wired connection into your home network - wall jack, patch panel, switch? Overall, look for ways to provide more physical security.

2) If 2.2 BIOS was downloaded from an unofficial website then that BIOS cannot and should not be trusted. (Hard to find software etc. is an easy way to set traps for those looking for such software.)

[Note: Was 2.2 BIOS actually installed? You posted "and it seems I might be able to upgrade it to version 2.20 from MediaFire. (Filename: slb8v220.exe)." Did you make an actual attempt to install BIOS 2.2 and see some confirmation that BIOS 2.2 was installed?]

Roll back to 2.0 or otherwise reinstall 2.0

Then do a clean Windows install.

https://forums.tomshardware.com/faq/windows-10-clean-install-tutorial.3170366


3) Make and model router? Do you have the router's User Guide/Manual?

Again change all logins and passwords: Router, Wifi, laptop, OS (Admin and User accounts).

Reference the link at the beginning of this post.

WPA-2 may be old but you can and do have control. Make router changes via a wired connection. Reset the router to factory defaults then configure with new settings as applicable. Router Login, password, SSID, login, password, and so forth. Whitelist authorized MACs. Limit the number of allowed DHCP IP devices Use firewalls. Change frequencies and channels to ones that are less likely to be being used.

Two objectives:

1.) re-establish a new, secure, and physically protected network and laptop with logins and passwords that only you know and cannot be easily guessed or readily hacked.

2.) Document all settings and configurations in a manner that will flag any changes that are made. Create logs and so forth that you can easily and regularly check.

If something gets changed and you know that you or some update did not make that change then post accordingly. Be vigilant.

 

[SkyNetRising]

Is it possible that someone hacked my laptop BIOS?

Nobody hacked your BIOS. That's just nonsense.

it isn't a 64-bit system but it thinks it is now.
I can't fathom how that could be with a completely different hard drive.

Hardware is 64bit capable.
Previously you had 32bit OS installed. Now you installed 64bit OS.
Everything is correct.

Yeah, on an old wpa-2 router, it doesn't make any difference! They are easily hacked!

How exactly did you determine that?

I did change the SSID, turned off displaying the SSID, and turned on MAC filtering. I changed the router's sign on name and password, etc. I even removed the antenna to reduce the distance the Wi-Fi signal would travel.

Just change wifi passkey to something like 30 characters long
(piece of some poem or song lyrics, include numbers and punctuation marks).
Nobody in their lifetime will be able to crack it.

At some point I discovered that he had throttled it down to 72mb of my bandwidth.

WIFI network speed depends on signal quality.
Distance between router and device, obstacles like walls - all that will impact signal quality.

 

[USAFRet]

he mistakenly thought my CPU was 64-bit

I have that same laptop. It is and always was a 64bit CPU.

I finally got another clean hard drive, and installed Windows 10 Home on it today. As it was installing, I was only given the choices of 64-bit versions of Windows 10 to choose from.

Right.
There is no more 32bit Win 10.

I even removed the antenna to reduce the distance the Wi-Fi signal would travel. At some point I discovered that he had throttled it down to 72mb of my bandwidth.

Removing the antenna killed the bandwidth down to the 72mb that you now see.