dotTech - Topic: Is someone hacking me? http://dottech.org/forums/tech-support/is-someone-hacking-me/ Simple:Press Version 5.2.6 yourpalal on Is someone hacking me? http://dottech.org/forums/tech-support/is-someone-hacking-me/#p4704 Tech Support http://dottech.org/forums/tech-support/is-someone-hacking-me/#p4704 Hope this is of some help:

I've installed a few free Vista desktop sidebar gadgets, the best 2 are a network monitor for watching IE activity, the other is a real-time CPU usage monitor that also tells how much is being used by each of my dual-cores. If I'm running a malware scan I know it will use typically 25% to 100% by itself, depending on the app. But if nothing much is happening & I see the CPU jump up, or the network, then I run AnVir Task Manager--which if you don't have, look to the right at the dotTech freebies & get it from here! Over time I've learned which services can be stopped, which startup entries can either be changed to delayed or disabled (manual start, or on demand), which processes, etc., & AnVir or other apps can help with that. A culprit can be auto-updates of apps, so I have every app that I can be set at manual update.

 And as we've seen from GOTD, for example, certain programs include "calling home" to the apps website. I would never d/l anything that can make Internet connections on its own, or surreptitiously (even if totally legit) sending unknown info from my computer (& also even if it is supposedly anonymous info, or part of a so-called part of the apps "improvement program"). There is no control then of who actually sees what at the apps website, & also just what is done with the gathered info. Privacy policies they may claim that are "in effect," are only as good as the companies personnel, & subject to security breaches, which they may never even tell us about.

OK, that's enough for now, or I could write on this till....................

]]> Mon, 05 Apr 2010 21:27:43 -0700 Locutus on Is someone hacking me? http://dottech.org/forums/tech-support/is-someone-hacking-me/#p4693 Tech Support http://dottech.org/forums/tech-support/is-someone-hacking-me/#p4693 @Neo:  I should've thought about this before... I know I shouldn't aggresively promote my blog, but here's a link where I describe how to see what apps are accessing the internet.

http://cogizio.org/windows/562

It doesn't require anything but admin rights.

]]> Mon, 05 Apr 2010 19:21:11 -0700 karen on Is someone hacking me? http://dottech.org/forums/tech-support/is-someone-hacking-me/#p4691 Tech Support http://dottech.org/forums/tech-support/is-someone-hacking-me/#p4691 If it is norton, a good way to tell would be to unplug from the network and see if it is still happening. I think norton would still try to do its scans without a network connection.

]]> Mon, 05 Apr 2010 19:03:47 -0700 Neo on Is someone hacking me? http://dottech.org/forums/tech-support/is-someone-hacking-me/#p4681 Tech Support http://dottech.org/forums/tech-support/is-someone-hacking-me/#p4681 thanks for the help folks. I will keep an eye and post back if I find anything

]]> Mon, 05 Apr 2010 16:15:58 -0700 Pwnana on Is someone hacking me? http://dottech.org/forums/tech-support/is-someone-hacking-me/#p4679 Tech Support http://dottech.org/forums/tech-support/is-someone-hacking-me/#p4679 Norton automatically runs scans when the computer has been idle for a while, I'm pretty sure that is what is happening.  It stops when you move the mouse because the computer is no longer idle.  Somewhere in the settings there are some options for idle scans, and there should be a meter there that fills up as the computer becomes idle, so you can use that to see if its Norton's scans causing the activity.

]]> Mon, 05 Apr 2010 13:30:13 -0700 Neo on Is someone hacking me? http://dottech.org/forums/tech-support/is-someone-hacking-me/#p4674 Tech Support http://dottech.org/forums/tech-support/is-someone-hacking-me/#p4674 I have norton AV. Few other svc are running [cant tell what they are by their name].  Other than browsers, yahoo IM, nothing special. I have also blocked most ad-ons and startup services.

 

Is anyone aware of some montoring tool that can be set up to see if files are accessed etc and by what program/user?

]]> Mon, 05 Apr 2010 12:23:20 -0700 Ashraf on Is someone hacking me? http://dottech.org/forums/tech-support/is-someone-hacking-me/#p4645 Tech Support http://dottech.org/forums/tech-support/is-someone-hacking-me/#p4645 You may have installed an application that participates in one of those dstributed computing things, such as Digbsy (turn off their "research module"). I would suggest looking through your programs and checking for that.

]]> Sun, 04 Apr 2010 14:45:57 -0700 Locutus on Is someone hacking me? http://dottech.org/forums/tech-support/is-someone-hacking-me/#p4639 Tech Support http://dottech.org/forums/tech-support/is-someone-hacking-me/#p4639 What applications do you have running?  Some times, applications-especially backup software and defragmenters-will wait until the computer isn't being used to crank themselves up and crunch numbers and bits and bytes.

]]> Sun, 04 Apr 2010 13:32:03 -0700 Neo on Is someone hacking me? http://dottech.org/forums/tech-support/is-someone-hacking-me/#p4636 Tech Support http://dottech.org/forums/tech-support/is-someone-hacking-me/#p4636 When my PC is idle I see a lot of hard disk activity, specially at night. When I move the mouse, the activity stops. I have all the latest anti virus updates, firewall etc. I dont see anything suspicious on the windows task manager.

Is there a way of knowing if I have been hacked and somebody is browsing thru my HD is it just the AV or windows doing its stuff?

]]> Sun, 04 Apr 2010 12:26:18 -0700