Is it possible to have your computer possessed as a Bot without knowing? I hear so many stories about home computer running as bots, and wonder how the owners are unaware of such an activity.
My understanding is that having security precautions installed, keeping them updated, will prevent such an act from taking place. But, I wonder, can such a possibility take place and the user is totally unaware? Surely one should be able to see the flashing lights, the loss of bandwidth, etc. Or, is this activity hidden from view, at a level that normal security measures are bypassed, and we are slaves to a master, Mindblower!
"For the needy, not the greedy"
Hi MB,
Tech-savvy computer users are, by nature, more sensitive to the goings on of their computers than what we might call a "normal" user.
The ones who merely use their machines for browsing, eMail and the occasional game might not be so astute. This is unfortunate, but these innocents are the perfect prey for the scum of the internet.
A good outbound-checking firewall is a possible answer in that it will let you know when a questionable program is trying to access the internet without your consent.
Richard
Moderators
I worked on a W7 PC, in our County courthouse, not long ago that was having problems accessing the internet. I knew when I booted the PC up that I world not be able to fix it in place. At home I was able to run malware scans and after 2 days I was able to boot the PC normally. Malware had already hi-jacked the browser and also the IP address, and no one knew why it was so slow. Lucky enough this PC was never connected to the courthouse network, if it had been, the outcome would have been different. Where did the malware come from? Probably from the trash email I found on the PC. It was a Bot waiting for a command. I tried to educate the ones that were using the PC, but I doubt it did any good.
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