03-02-2011, 04:09 PM

I have a macbook pro and an iphone and my husband is quoting texts and emails and on my previous pc he had keystroke logger and spyware on my computer, so how is he doing this, and how can I find out and remove it
AND NO NOT DOING ANYTHING BAD....LOL
Just sick of having my privacy invaded, hes just super crazy jealous
Keep in mind I dont know much about computers so keep your responses simple please
Thanks

03-02-2011, 04:11 PM

If he's your husband, what are you needing to keep secrets? Seems like a larger issue needs to be figured out beyond just security on your Mac.

Have you tried putting the password on your Mac.?

03-02-2011, 04:13 PM

A thief accuses everyone else of stealing, and I dont need my male friends being accused and threatened just want some privacy

03-02-2011, 04:19 PM

I'm with Schweb on this - for a number of reasons. You guys definitely have things to deal with - your need for privacy - and unfortunately, sometimes the insanely jealous are that way because of their own actions - but that's for you guys to workout.

There are so many ways for him to spy on you if he has access to your unprotected PC, if he's the iPhone account holder, or even if you guys are sending unencrypted packets to a wireless router. I'm afraid you're all the more vulnerable if, as you say, you're not that computer savvy, and he is.

I think some spyware scanners will find certain keystroke loggers - but again - it just all depends on what he's doing. If he's the iPhone account holder - I believe there's any number of things he can do - including tracking your location. I'll leave it to the more informed here to perhaps help - but this seems like a complicated problem to me.

03-02-2011, 04:23 PM

Originally Posted by princessdawn

I have a macbook pro and an iphone and my husband is quoting texts and emails and on my previous pc he had keystroke logger and spyware on my computer, so how is he doing this, and how can I find out and remove it
AND NO NOT DOING ANYTHING BAD....LOL
Just sick of having my privacy invaded, hes just super crazy jealous
Keep in mind I dont know much about computers so keep your responses simple please
Thanks

Well, I'm no Dr. Phil, but I agree with Schweb that it sounds like you've got some relationship issues to work through. But with that said, you're looking for technical help, so here goes...

There are a number of keylogger applications for the Mac. Unfortunately, finding them can be difficult. And knowing for sure that you've eradicated them is just about impossible, short of erasing the hard drive and reinstalling the operating system, which can be a daunting exercise for someone with limited computer skills. This would be best left to a computer savvy friend if you choose to go this route. Another option would be to download the free trial of MacScan, which can search for keyloggers and other kinds of spyware. That will give you a reasonably good scan for things like that and should find the most common ones.

As far as your phone goes, I'm not sure about AT&T, but Verizon will not allow even the account holder to look at the texts of another phone on the same account. I believe doing so would be in violation of the wiretapping laws, since all phones are subject to them.

So, my guess is that your husband may be sifting through your phone occasionally. If you don't already have it set to use a passcode, I would do so now. This is wise, not only because you're wary of your husband looking at the phone, but remember that an iPhone is just a little computer. So, there's probably enough data there for a thief to use to steal your identity. I recommend all smart phone users secure their phones. It can be more of a hassle, but an ounce of prevention is certainly worth a pound of cure.

03-02-2011, 04:24 PM

Sounds more like you need a divorce than anything else. Why would anybody put up with such nonsense ? In his defense though, some husbands don't think it a great idea for their wives to have too many male friends, especially if they don't personally know them. Can't say I find too much fault with that logic, since after all ... we're just human and anything can and will happen given the proper motivation or circumstances.

In any case, since you seem to think that there's already something on there, just do a fresh install of OS X which includes doing a write over of 0's and 1's then use a new and difficult to crack (but nothing you'd have to write down) password for the new account. Good luck.. sounds like you'll (both) need it.

Doug

03-02-2011, 04:35 PM

Originally Posted by Doug b

In his defense though, some husbands don't think it a great idea for their wives to have too many male friends, especially if they don't personally know them.

Well said (just to add)...the opposite is true as well. Most wive's don't like it when their husbands have too many "female friend's"...especially if they don't personally know them.

- Nick

03-02-2011, 04:43 PM

thought I was looking for mac help, not a morality issue

03-02-2011, 04:45 PM

This is a real tough one!

Some real good advice here, the only thing I would add is you need to ask yourself this question:

"If I am successful in completely shutting out the spying what is the result going to be in our relationship?"

You absolutely have the right to some privacy--but you also should consider the cost of getting what you are looking for.

03-02-2011, 04:46 PM

Originally Posted by princessdawn

thought I was looking for mac help, not a morality issue

I don't think the morality issue is pointed at you. But, I know that I for one am concerned about giving advice that ends up causing more harm than good.

03-02-2011, 04:47 PM

Originally Posted by princessdawn

thought I was looking for mac help, not a morality issue

Unfortunately I've seen a lot of threads like this go down the same path. Not sure if you saw my post above, but it focuses on the technical question and should be what you're looking for.

03-02-2011, 04:54 PM

Originally Posted by princessdawn

thought I was looking for mac help, not a morality issue

No extra charge...we're a full-service internet forum!

- Nick

p.s. You also probably gave us too much information in your original post. All you really had to say was..."How can I increase security on my MacBook Pro and iPhone?"...and leave all of the husband info out of it.

03-02-2011, 04:56 PM

Originally Posted by princessdawn

thought I was looking for mac help, not a morality issue

We're kind of a family here, so you get both.

Are you this agressive with your other friends when you're looking for help? You've been offered several suggestions or asked several questions about things you may have tried and you've ignored answering any of them. Just saying.

03-02-2011, 04:58 PM

Originally Posted by princessdawn

thought I was looking for mac help, not a morality issue

No offense, but you did give a LOT more information than needed in order to get simple technical help. You didn't have to say anything other than "I'm fairly certain someone has installed a key logger" etc etc, and you would have gotten more direct results.

That said, you've gotten some solid answers here, despite the moral intervention and all.

Doug

03-02-2011, 05:03 PM

"I posted an embarrassing photo/video of myself on the internet and now everyone is sharing it and laughing at me and I'm angry about it. How dare they!"
Just be careful of what info you share online. Once it's out there....