Okay, I know many of you hobbyists are techies and IT gurus - PLEASE HELP!!!

I was surfing around on some various Yahoo adult groups and all of a sudden a message/picture popped up on my screen.  It was a picture of a goofy looking guy and the message on top said "ERR 044" and on the bottom "You've been hacked!  Hacker so-and-so now owns your system."

I freaked and I shut off my computer.  That was 30 minutes ago.  Since then I have logged back on and haven't noticed anything strange but I'm really worried.  I work for a LARGE I/T company along the lines of IBM or Accenture Consulting so I know we have a decent firewall and I/T security, but I'm still worried. I didn't download anything (that I know of) and I also went to some different I/T security system websites to check for open  ports but I got a healthy "stealth" score across the board.

Has anyone else experienced anything like this?  Is this just a hoax meant to scare people or does someone else really have access to my system?  Can someone use your system while you are logged on without you even knowing about it?

Thanks hobbyists!

This has never happened to me. But I would add that accessing TER through your LAN connection at work may not be the brightest move. One, there is no expectation of privacy in most of cyber-space, but especially not at work. If someone should happen to see your screen and dime you out, the software run by most IT departments could easily be used to nail you.

I hope you weren't surfing yahoogroups at work. Big Brother (the boss) watches those kinds of things.

Can someone use your system while you are logged on without you even knowing about it?  

Yes, they can.  So can I.


Is this just a hoax meant to scare people or does someone else really have access to my system?  

This was just a popup.  It's along the same lines as the popup ad for the popup stopper.  A hacker won't tell you he has taken over your system.  That would defeat the point.  Hacking isn't like what you might have seen on tv or in the movies.  It's hard (and boring IMO) work.  Your company may or may not tell when they are accessing your system.


Call your helpdesk and have a spyware cleaner installed and a virus scan run on your computer.  Don't worry that they might see where you have been on the internet.  They already have.  Most people (except the clinically paranoid) don't realize just how much we know about what you do on your computer.  I can look at any computer in my company and tell you pretty much anything about it.  I can tell you who has logged on, who logged on last, who is logged on now.  I can tell you what programs are installed, what programs are running, and how much time you spend running those programs.  I can look at your internet cache and internet history.  I can look at program versions.  I can install and uninstall programs without you ever seeing a thing.  I CAN SEE WHAT YOU ARE SEEING ON YOUR SCREEN IN REAL-TIME WITHOUT YOU EVER KNOWING!  It doesn't matter WHERE you log on.  I can look up every computer you have ever logged on.  I can see  when was the last time you logged on to each of them.  There is NO PRIVACY on a company computer.  It is not your computer.  It is a company computer on a company network.  If you read your company's computer policy, you will see that you have no right of privacy on company equipment.

Surfing porn at work is an artform.  You have to balance the time spent and graphicness(?) of the porn against your immunity to punishment and your IT department's level of tolerance.  Personally, I love finding straight porn and mp3's!  I move it to my secret porn and music server.

My honey (IT guy) brings home logs of the stuff people look at while at work.  While I get some good pointers as to where to advertise...it's not too bright on the employees' part.

Don't give them a reason to fire you.  Sometimes the only reason companies have to get rid of someone they just don't like who otherwise doeshis job correctly is those log sheets.  Likewise, don't leave yourself logged in and walk away from your workstation.

It was very likely just a hoax/advertisement.  If someone took over your computer, they wouldn't want to show you a window that TELLS you.  They would, instead, enjoy watching everything you do, use your machine as part of a DDoS attack, etc.

BTW, don't put too much faith in your IT department.  The less secure the machines are, the more secure their jobs are.  Would management keep them around, if they just sat on their asses, idle all day?

Kinda like that "wanna get away?" comercial where the black woman opens an e-mail with the subject line "Are you looking for a new job?" and infects the entire office...lol. I'll bet he had a "wanna get away" moment!

Surfing exotic sites at work is a dumb idea.  With the cost of mobile computers and the increasing prevalence of hot spots you do not need to surf at work or at home (assuming that you have a wife or girlfriend at home who does not approve of the practice).  Break the work-porn habit before it gets you fired, the person who pointed out what an IT person can do on your system without your knowing it was on the mark, heck, I had an IT person find a subtle problem in my email and fix it without me being logged or or knowing about the work ongoing.

You're not the brightest bulb in the circuit, are you?? On company's LAN you have no expectation of privacy. I hope your boss and IT dept is rather tolerant. Otherwise, I'd suggest updating your resume.

You should at least download and install the free version of Ad-Aware, or spend a couple of bucks on the "pro" version:

http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/

Also, I haven't used it but I have read good things about Anonymizer.  Basically you surf the web via their IP address, so nothing is traceable back to you.  Of course if you're at work, the fact that you're accessing the anonymizer web site might raise a red flag.  But for home access it may be worth it.

http://www.anonymizer.com/index

You know what they say about consultants....

They know 10,000 ways to make love, but have never been on a date.  

Leave your hobby away from the gig.  There could be spy software and a myriad of other things monitoring your system.

As they say, dont get your meat where you make your bread.

I have done a wee bit of surfing through the Anonymizer site, but after reading these posts I'm having second thoughts

Most large companies do log ALL of the Internet activity and have the ability to see where you have been. Many also have software that generates reports of abusers and the sites they have visited. Some of the more I/T savy companies also deploy software that will block specific types of content and the newest software can block sites dynamically and display any type of message the boss wants you to see. It's likely you saw some type of adware pop-up, but it's also likely you got caught by the dynamic software doing it's job. Unless you were on a public computer, they know where you are.