am i being hacked?

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i can see other users when i click on my airport icon, and every once in awhile one named "joker" shows up and my connection slows way down, or the broadband link is unavailable completely. i have firewalls in place, but i'm not even sure if this means that i'm being hacked, or someone's piggy-backing on my network, or what the deal is. any assistance would be greatly appreciated!
 

rez


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Hey,

If I could just clear this up with you for a bit, are you clicking on the Airport/Wifi symbol on the menu bar, alongside the battery,volume symbols etc?

Do you have administrator access to your internet router? How many people regularly use this connection at any time?
 
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are you talking of airdrop maybe? when you open finder --> top left. then it´s not a hack but people around you which show up
 

chscag

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i can see other users when i click on my airport icon, and every once in awhile one named "joker" shows up and my connection slows way down, or the broadband link is unavailable completely. i have firewalls in place, but i'm not even sure if this means that i'm being hacked, or someone's piggy-backing on my network, or what the deal is. any assistance would be greatly appreciated!

It sounds like someone (possibly the "joker") is hi-jacking your internet connection and is getting a free ride. Make sure you use the strongest possible encryption for the connection. Preferred encryption is WPA2 with a very strong password or phrase.

The firewall being on means nothing if someone is "stealing" your connection. It offers no protection against that.
 
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Change your wifi password.
 
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yes, it's when i click on the icon next to the volume and battery symbols. i am the only admin for the router, and nobody else uses this connection. i'll change the encryption to wpa2 and see if it makes a difference. thanks for the suggestions!
 

dtravis7


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If you are truly talking about the icon next to the volume and battery, that is the Airport Icon. Every WIFI in your neighborhood that is in range will show up there. That is normal and the way it's supposed to work. Does the same on Windows and Linux also. Those other names are other routers in other houses close to you! I have 15 here. They CAN NOT access your computer. They are just wifi hot spots.

I would still change encryption to WPA2 as it's a lot safer so people will not be able to steal your internet!!
 
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WPA2 Personal and a thirteen digit numeric and alphabetical password.
 
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i changed it to wpa2 and also changed the password...so far, so good! thanks for the clarification about just seeing other users in my radius in the drop down. they're not always there, and the slow connection or being bumped off altogether would only happen whenever i'd see another user in there. guess it's just coincidence!
 

dtravis7


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That issue could be that the other networks in your neighborhood are on the same channel as your router is. If it happens again, log into the router and change the channel.
 

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