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View Full Version : Security - accessing someone else's PC

[HB]RugRat
15-06-2005, 16:33
A friend of mine suspects that her PC is being remotely accessed somehow - emails that she knows she hasn't seen are marked as read, files she knows she didn't create are appearing on her desktop and personal documents are appearing in her documents list (on the start menu) after she's cleared it.

She's done the usual things like virus-/spyware- checks but they've turned nothing up. Nobody else has ever had access to the PC apart from a neighbour who built the thing for her (but no longer has access to it and hasn't done for some months).

Does anyone know if there is any way of checking if someone is accessing her PC? She's pretty worried about this so any suggestions gratefully received :thumbs:
roddy22
15-06-2005, 17:17
what os does she use? does she leave it on and connected to BB?

Has she tried changing her password or even sticking a password on it.
[HB]RugRat
15-06-2005, 18:33
She's using Win XP and does leave the PC unattended whilst on (and it has a BB connection). She doesn't have a windows-login password (i'll suggest she does this) but has changed the password on her email account (and it's still happening).
roddy22
15-06-2005, 19:48
sorry next question does she have a firewall running and is she fully patched with service pack2.

It might be worth installing something like netlimiter (http://www.netlimiter.com/) (free trial available) to monitor d'load/up/load while she is away from the computer. There should also be a way of checking logs in xp try googling. If she doesn't want people accesing her computer she should definitely set a login and password.
[HB]RugRat
15-06-2005, 22:36
Yeah totally agree - I don't know if she has the firewall enabled but I can check when I have a look at it.
pkr
16-06-2005, 06:01
Check for the existence of VNC or other remote control program. They won't show up as Spyware etc, but it could allow the neighbour to access it remotely.

Also, once she has set up a logon password, get her to adopt the habit of locking the PC when she walks away from it.
kcxdev
16-06-2005, 06:09
Try Microsoft AntiSpyware, its identifies and warns about VNC and other remote access programs.
ian turner
16-06-2005, 10:32
try running shields up security check or i think theres one on the symantec or mcafee web sites.