The narrator shares two personal anecdotes about their experiences with online scams and viruses. As a kid, they downloaded an auto-clicker that turned out to be malware, causing their computer to freeze and display a suspicious message. Later, they downloaded a screen recorder that installed spyware, leading to a ransomware attack that encrypted their files and demanded a $500 payment. The narrator also shares a story about their brother, who was blackmailed after signing up for a game on the Deep Web that required personal info. The brother was forced to play the game daily for two years to avoid having his info leaked. The narrator concludes by sharing three lessons learned: avoid downloading files from shady websites, use backup services, and be cautious of things that seem too good to be true.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The author used to use LimeWire, AIM, MySpace, and 3D Pinball.
2. The author used to play online games where you could earn currency by clicking.
3. The author searched for an auto-clicker to automate clicking in an online game.
4. The author downloaded a file from a website that turned out to be malware.
5. The malware caused the computer to freeze and display a blaring alarm sound.
6. The malware also displayed a looping GIF of a person and a counter of how many times the GIF looped.
7. The author tried to close the malware but was unable to.
8. The author's computer crashed and displayed a blue screen.
9. The author's family computer was also affected, and everyone's files were deleted.
10. The author's brother was blackmailed on the Deep Web.
11. The Deep Web is a hidden part of the internet that can't be accessed through regular browsers.
12. The Deep Web is known for selling illegal goods and services, such as drugs and weapons.
13. The author's brother signed up for a game on the Deep Web that required personal info, including full name, date of birth, address, phone number, and Social Security number.
14. The game developer opened a pop-up message that threatened to leak the players' personal info if they didn't pay a minimum amount of currency.
15. The author's brother was scared and felt pressured to play the game every day for 2 years.
16. The game eventually disappeared, and the players were free.
17. The author learned lessons from these experiences, including not downloading files from shady websites, getting a backup, and being cautious when playing games that seem too good to be true.