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MAJOR privacy issue, I need to see WHAT happened!

M

Mehmet

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 21, 2003
67
0
Hello,

I usually leave my powerbook on as I go to school, and, nobody really touches it, except for maybe my mom who wants to check her email using firefox.

When i got home today, took a look at my computer, and TONS OF CRAP was open. mail was open, address book was open, property list editor (which i never use by the way!), text edit, transmit, terminal, all this stuff was open.

Now, this makes no sense to me and if i check the recently opened items in the finder, i find things such as the file for the mail inbox, outbox, the "messageuidsalreadydownloaded" and other things related to mail, plus a picture, plus an mp3, and plus cookies.plist.

This really doesn't make any sense to me, mail was opened via the inbox.mbox file, which i know because when i checked out the condition of mail, the inbox in the sidebar was folded down to show all the different inboxes ( i never do this myself so i'm sure i didn't leave it like that). My mom or anybody in this household would not go through the directory structure just to dig up *.mbox files.

The mp3 that was opened is totally random, i haven't listened to that song in months.

I'm trying to find out WHAT happened, just try and dig up some logs of opened programs or something, but i don't know where to start, if somebody could give me a heads up I would really appreciate it. check the console maybe?? Anything will help. thanks.

Oh, and im running 10.3.5
 
I don't know, but try checking your logs...the Finder log, maybe...it is hard to tell what happened after something unless software is installed beforehand that logs stuff.

On a random note, do you have any pets?
 
Mechcozmo said:
I don't know, but try checking your logs...the Finder log, maybe...it is hard to tell what happened after something unless software is installed beforehand that logs stuff.

On a random note, do you have any pets?
Click to expand...


where can i find this finder log?

and no, no pets. hehe, i know what you were thinking though.
 
ezkimo said:
Were you connected to a network?
Click to expand...

My home network, yeah, which consists of another pc and this powerbook through the wireless router.
 
ezkimo said:
Were you connected to a network?
Click to expand...

or does someone have your IP? It's very possible that someone could have broken into your machine if they have your IP (by the looks of it, a stupid person too). Try closing all of the sharing boxes in the Sharing tab.
 
musicpyrite said:
or does someone have your IP? It's very possible that someone could have broken into your machine if they have your IP (by the looks of it, a stupid person too). Try closing all of the sharing boxes in the Sharing tab.
Click to expand...

and turn your firewall on if you have not done so.
 
If you have a wireless network, I'm told that you should set it so that it will only allow access to specific machines, listed by their MAC (Machine Access Code) numbers. Techier people here will tell you how to find that and use it.

A friend of mine here in Ireland was setting up a wireless network in his house, including a PowerBook and a couple of desktop Macs, and suddenly found himself logged in to a neighbour's network, which was being run without a firewall and without the protection of this MAC business. He said that he could have looked at anything on the neighbour's computers, if he'd wanted to.

Sounds to me as if some kid in the neighbourhood (and I use the term without reference to age, only to maturity!) had the same thing happened, and rifled happily through your computer, reading your mail, trying out your musical tastes (eww, don't like this one, Goldilocks) and trying to find out all about you.

(What *is* that property list editor? That's the only worrying one - if it's a way of holding a list of all your valuables, someone might have been seeing if your house would be worth burgling.)

Anyway, 'tis a lesson to you: secure your network. And it might be a good idea to trawl around for new applications, in case the person's left himself a little gateway for the future.
 
Mala said:
He said that he could have looked at anything on the neighbour's computers, if he'd wanted to.
Click to expand...
only if he'd figured out the username and password of an account.

Sounds to me as if some kid in the neighbourhood (and I use the term without reference to age, only to maturity!) had the same thing happened, and rifled happily through your computer, reading your mail, trying out your musical tastes (eww, don't like this one, Goldilocks) and trying to find out all about you.
Click to expand...
i cannot think of how that would be possible w/o physically standing in front of the machine. do you have an idea how someone could do that remotely?
 
Not sure if my friend's neighbour's network was a PC or Mac one. He said he could have walked right in and read anything.
 
ssh in.... drop VNC... in open vnc.... log on.... wa la.... anyone can control your computer... I would set up a firewall.... Secure you wirelss network, change you and your mom's password to somthing much harder, and then that should be good. If it happens again... Someone might be braking into your house, or be a really really good 1337 h4ax0r (leet hacker)
 
javabear90 said:
ssh in.... drop VNC... in open vnc.... log on.... wa la.... anyone can control your computer...
Click to expand...
would that allow the intruder to take control of the display, too?
 
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