Is my computer "owned" ?
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Is my computer "owned" ?
I am still on mint 11 Katya. The newer ones cause problems on my old machine.
The symptoms...
Random freezes. The only way out is Ctrl Alt Del. Sometimes not even that, have to use the hardware reset button. (And no other keys work in any way at all.)
There are only a couple things halfway consistant about the freezup.
**Three of the dozen or so, have occurred when I opened an unknown site and granted javascript. (No, I don't visit <violates forum rules> sites. And I don't visit questionable sites. Sites that I visit are usually links from other forum members in a couple forums I go to.)
**Maybe 7 of the dozen or so times it happened, the cursor still worked just fine. You could move it anywhere you wanted to. It just didn't actually have any affect on anything.
Random cricket noises from speaker. Nothing consistant about it. Sometimes happens for a bit, then stops. Random intervals between chirps. Etc. Pretty much the sort of thing that would happen if someone were doing it just to annoy you. (And yes, my cell phone is turned off. I know the sound that makes, and this is more of a chirp.)
Cd drive doors open and close by themselves. Again random times. Not connected to anything else. Just as if someone were trying to annoy.
Random LARGE uploads and/or downloads. These always stop the INSTANT I hit the button to open system monitor to find out what app is doing this. I have absolutely nothing in any program anywhere that is allowed to automatically update, or to connect to the internet for any other reason.
The symptoms...
Random freezes. The only way out is Ctrl Alt Del. Sometimes not even that, have to use the hardware reset button. (And no other keys work in any way at all.)
There are only a couple things halfway consistant about the freezup.
**Three of the dozen or so, have occurred when I opened an unknown site and granted javascript. (No, I don't visit <violates forum rules> sites. And I don't visit questionable sites. Sites that I visit are usually links from other forum members in a couple forums I go to.)
**Maybe 7 of the dozen or so times it happened, the cursor still worked just fine. You could move it anywhere you wanted to. It just didn't actually have any affect on anything.
Random cricket noises from speaker. Nothing consistant about it. Sometimes happens for a bit, then stops. Random intervals between chirps. Etc. Pretty much the sort of thing that would happen if someone were doing it just to annoy you. (And yes, my cell phone is turned off. I know the sound that makes, and this is more of a chirp.)
Cd drive doors open and close by themselves. Again random times. Not connected to anything else. Just as if someone were trying to annoy.
Random LARGE uploads and/or downloads. These always stop the INSTANT I hit the button to open system monitor to find out what app is doing this. I have absolutely nothing in any program anywhere that is allowed to automatically update, or to connect to the internet for any other reason.
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
"The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do absolutely nothing for him in return." ~Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)
Re: Is my computer "owned" ?
Also, I don't run as root.
"The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do absolutely nothing for him in return." ~Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)
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Re: Is my computer "owned" ?
Maybe your computer has a Poltergeist who tries to annoy you???Ebere wrote:I am still on mint 11 Katya. The newer ones cause problems on my old machine.
The symptoms...
Random cricket noises from speaker. Nothing consistant about it. Sometimes happens for a bit, then stops. Random intervals between chirps. Etc. Pretty much the sort of thing that would happen if someone were doing it just to annoy you. (And yes, my cell phone is turned off. I know the sound that makes, and this is more of a chirp.)
Cd drive doors open and close by themselves. Again random times. Not connected to anything else. Just as if someone were trying to annoy.
Debian 12 Gnome on a MSI H61M-P25 (B3) PC & on a Dell Latitude E6410 & HP EliteBook 8540p Laptops.
LMDE 6 on a Panasonic ToughBook CF-C1 Laptop.
Bodhi Linux 7 on a HP Compaq DC5750 Small Form Factor PC.
Windows 11 on a Intel DH55TC PC.
LMDE 6 on a Panasonic ToughBook CF-C1 Laptop.
Bodhi Linux 7 on a HP Compaq DC5750 Small Form Factor PC.
Windows 11 on a Intel DH55TC PC.
Re: Is my computer "owned" ?
what system processes are currently running with everything except Firefox?
Re: Is my computer "owned" ?
A loooong list.keet wrote:What is the output of this command?Code: Select all
ps aux
Is there anything in particular that I am looking for ?
"The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do absolutely nothing for him in return." ~Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)
Re: Is my computer "owned" ?
No, it's something I'm looking for. I think I'm having the same problem I'm just looking for a possible correlation in open processes.Ebere wrote: A loooong list.
Is there anything in particular that I am looking for ?
Re: Is my computer "owned" ?
Ok, call me paranoid, (because I AM), but I'd rather not post a list of all the processes going on, on my computer... On an open forum.
I can tell you a bit of what I have learned. I'm not so convinced that my computer is 'owned'... Except for weaknesses in firefox.
First... the clicking sound.
I discovered that it was sounds associated with a "chat" that was running on a forum I am a member of. I didn't authorize the chat. I didn't sign in. Etc. It just automatically ran, and the sounds seemed to have a 'human' "ryhtym", because in essence, they did. It was the sound made when someone posted. Irregular intervals, etc.
I tracked it down, and turned it off.
The rest of the problems...
I have figured out that they happen only when on some new web page that I have never visited before.
Usually a "news" page. As in owned by the press, a newspaper, telivision, etc.
And usually the freezeup that cannot be ctrl-alt-del 'ed out of, (HAVE to do a hardware reset.)... Happens when I have ok a video to run, then have put it on hold, (to watch the rest of, later), and gone to some other page.
Since it never seems to happen while I am on the actual page, (and even if it did, the cursor moves, but nothing else works, so I couldn't "investigate the cause" anyway...), I have never been able to figure out exactly what it is that is causing it.
My gut tells me that my computer itself is not "owned". But that it might as well be, if all I am doing is running firefox, and in essence, my firefox is "Owned" from somewhere outside my machine. With all the things that firefox can do on your machine. Browse files, upload/download, etc... (One of the problems I have seen, is occassional HUGE uploads and/or downloads... And NOTHING is running that should be doing that. (Firefox is always running, but I didn't authorize any uploads or downloads.) I do not have any program anywhere enabled for automatic updates, or any other reason for unexpected uploads or downloads.) Add stuff I don't readily understand... Seems to me your computer can be made a zombie of, even if actual control of the computer itself, (root), cannot be achieved...
I can tell you a bit of what I have learned. I'm not so convinced that my computer is 'owned'... Except for weaknesses in firefox.
First... the clicking sound.
I discovered that it was sounds associated with a "chat" that was running on a forum I am a member of. I didn't authorize the chat. I didn't sign in. Etc. It just automatically ran, and the sounds seemed to have a 'human' "ryhtym", because in essence, they did. It was the sound made when someone posted. Irregular intervals, etc.
I tracked it down, and turned it off.
The rest of the problems...
I have figured out that they happen only when on some new web page that I have never visited before.
Usually a "news" page. As in owned by the press, a newspaper, telivision, etc.
And usually the freezeup that cannot be ctrl-alt-del 'ed out of, (HAVE to do a hardware reset.)... Happens when I have ok a video to run, then have put it on hold, (to watch the rest of, later), and gone to some other page.
Since it never seems to happen while I am on the actual page, (and even if it did, the cursor moves, but nothing else works, so I couldn't "investigate the cause" anyway...), I have never been able to figure out exactly what it is that is causing it.
My gut tells me that my computer itself is not "owned". But that it might as well be, if all I am doing is running firefox, and in essence, my firefox is "Owned" from somewhere outside my machine. With all the things that firefox can do on your machine. Browse files, upload/download, etc... (One of the problems I have seen, is occassional HUGE uploads and/or downloads... And NOTHING is running that should be doing that. (Firefox is always running, but I didn't authorize any uploads or downloads.) I do not have any program anywhere enabled for automatic updates, or any other reason for unexpected uploads or downloads.) Add stuff I don't readily understand... Seems to me your computer can be made a zombie of, even if actual control of the computer itself, (root), cannot be achieved...
"The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do absolutely nothing for him in return." ~Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)
Re: Is my computer "owned" ?
can't tell you much about all the rest but for FF these 2 add-ons are absolutely essential (imo)
http://noscript.net/
http://adblockplus.org/en/
much better than giving you a huge explanation, read the 2 homepages, search the web about them, try them out.
http://noscript.net/
http://adblockplus.org/en/
much better than giving you a huge explanation, read the 2 homepages, search the web about them, try them out.
Re: Is my computer "owned" ?
Good advice.zerozero wrote:can't tell you much about all the rest but for FF these 2 add-ons are absolutely essential (imo)
http://noscript.net/
http://adblockplus.org/en/
much better than giving you a huge explanation, read the 2 homepages, search the web about them, try them out.
I run both of those.
I tend to allow javascript temporarily on news sites, if there is a news vid that I want to watch. (later) And as I said, the lockups seem to largely happen at those times, once I navigate away from that page, but leave it connected.
The uploads and downloads also tend to only happen when I am on a site that I haven't been to before. And seemingly always... the up or downloads always seem to stop immediately when I open up the monitor to see what is doing that. Which makes me think it is on purpose. If it were purely coincidence, the upload or download would continue sometimes.
I don't do <violates forum rules>. But then it's not only <violates forum rules> sites out there that will do things like hijack your browser.
"The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do absolutely nothing for him in return." ~Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)
Re: Is my computer "owned" ?
ohh i should imagine that you knew them.
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... 49&start=0
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... 92&start=0
unfortunately in none of those topics we find a clear answer.
this though is similar toThe uploads and downloads also tend to only happen when I am on a site that I haven't been to before. And seemingly always... the up or downloads always seem to stop immediately when I open up the monitor to see what is doing that. Which makes me think it is on purpose. If it were purely coincidence, the upload or download would continue sometimes.
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... 49&start=0
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... 92&start=0
unfortunately in none of those topics we find a clear answer.
Re: Is my computer "owned" ?
Quite simlar to those, yes. And thanks for the links.zerozero wrote:ohh i should imagine that you knew them.this though is similar toThe uploads and downloads also tend to only happen when I am on a site that I haven't been to before. And seemingly always... the up or downloads always seem to stop immediately when I open up the monitor to see what is doing that. Which makes me think it is on purpose. If it were purely coincidence, the upload or download would continue sometimes.
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... 49&start=0
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... 92&start=0
unfortunately in none of those topics we find a clear answer.
I guess the biggest reason it bugs me is because I have taken DAYS, to go completely through every program on my computer, and make sure that there is NOTHING left that allows any automatic upload or download of any kind.
And I have done this several times over, very thoroughly, just to be certain that it wasn't something that I made a mistake on, or missed.
If this is a legit program, doing a legit thing, that's one thing. And understandable. But I DON'T like such a thing going on... and not giving me the option to turn it off. Since I have been through everything twelve ways to sunday, I know that legit or not, I have not been given the option to deny. And that sucks.
By the way, the person in your second link might have been seeing legit traffic between the computer and the router, and didn't understand that that isn't actually "internet traffic".
"The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do absolutely nothing for him in return." ~Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)
Re: Is my computer "owned" ?
About the freeze - that could be a graphics driver problem. Please post the output of:
And posting processes on the forum is not a problem. The forum is secure enough; malicious visitors, even registered, will not be able to track your IP.
Code: Select all
inxi -Gx
Registered Linux User #528502
Feel free to correct me if I'm trying to write in Spanish, French or German.
Feel free to correct me if I'm trying to write in Spanish, French or German.
Re: Is my computer "owned" ?
I'm pretty sure you are correct.AlbertP wrote:About the freeze - that could be a graphics driver problem. Please post the output of:Code: Select all
inxi -Gx
And the fan on the card is not the best.Graphics: Card ATI RV380 0x3e50 [Radeon X600] X.Org 1.10.1 Res: 1280x1024@85.0hz
GLX Renderer Gallium 0.4 on ATI RV380 GLX Version 2.1 Mesa 7.10.2 Direct Rendering Yes
"The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do absolutely nothing for him in return." ~Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)
Re: Is my computer "owned" ?
This thread was kinda interesting. If I may ask how do you know it was a HUGE up or download if it stopped when system monitor was opened. Did one ever complete? Is there a way in Linux to trace, track, identify the file or source? I might even try a reinstall of Firefox or install Chrome as a comparison.
Re: Is my computer "owned" ?
I have the window in the toolbar at the bottom for system monitor. I have it set to show the upload/download activity.homerscousin wrote:This thread was kinda interesting. If I may ask how do you know it was a HUGE up or download if it stopped when system monitor was opened. Did one ever complete? Is there a way in Linux to trace, track, identify the file or source? I might even try a reinstall of Firefox or install Chrome as a comparison.
When I see a LOT of activity, while I am not doing anything that is supposed to be up/downloading... Invariably, if I just watch it, it goes on and on. If I click the window and acyually open up system monitor, it immediately stops.
Like I said, the laws of chance would say that at least SOME of the time, when I click on it, the up/downloads would continue. They never do.
I know there's ways to do so. But none that I have ever found put out any sort of data, that is easy to read. You have to pore through tons of data. Most of which is cryptic to say the least, to a novice like me.
"The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do absolutely nothing for him in return." ~Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)
Re: Is my computer "owned" ?
What does the updater (shield) icon in the tray look like while it's showing activity? Is it empty? In that case the updater is refreshing. It does so every 15 minutes.
Registered Linux User #528502
Feel free to correct me if I'm trying to write in Spanish, French or German.
Feel free to correct me if I'm trying to write in Spanish, French or German.
Re: Is my computer "owned" ?
No it doesn't.AlbertP wrote:What does the updater (shield) icon in the tray look like while it's showing activity? Is it empty? In that case the updater is refreshing. It does so every 15 minutes.
Please read above.
I have that turned off.
I don't like anything accessing the internet for any reason, without my direct knowledge.
Yup. I'm paranoid.
I recon you can be paranoid, even if they ARE out to get you.
"The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do absolutely nothing for him in return." ~Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)
Re: Is my computer "owned" ?
Have you already tried using Firestarter to find out which process is up/downloading?
Registered Linux User #528502
Feel free to correct me if I'm trying to write in Spanish, French or German.
Feel free to correct me if I'm trying to write in Spanish, French or German.
Re: Is my computer "owned" ?
Thank you.AlbertP wrote:Have you already tried using Firestarter to find out which process is up/downloading?
I didn't have that installed.
It is now installed, and I opened it and went through the simple setup. (Three steps ? Four ? Whatever. It was simple.)
Almost the instant that I first started it, an error message came up.
I'm assuming it is going to be important to see "event information". LOL How do I fix that error ?Failed to open the system log
No event information will be available.
And thanks again.
"The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do absolutely nothing for him in return." ~Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)