I sure am learning that lesson tonight

I would've thought you would have figured that out before tonight!

I would be alright just as long as they didn't go deleting things or crashing the system. If they destroyed my hard drive...well that's another story entirely.

It happened to me back in 2000. I contacted the FBI, and unfortunately, the hacker was under 18. An agent spoke with his mother about his actions. An attack on my computers carries a little more weight than that of an attack on a personal computer, because all of the computers are also used for business.

Cute.

Sometimes people come by information in all sorts of ways; and then want you to believe they have hacked into your computer. It's amazing.

I agree with hiker chick (yea i know, suprise!)

I gots me a network engineering degree and specialized in security (that means i have a greater chance of knowing what i'm talking about!)

You can't 'hack' into someone's computer. You need to have folders that are set to 'share'. When someone hacks into a site or system it's because the majority of the stuff HAS to be accessed remotely. (RAS: remote access server)

Now, what i can do right now, and just a bout anyone, is type in certin things and use teh google. Then you can find out lots of info. usually none of it is important or usefull. now you can tell the person "i know what you did last summer! i hacked into your computer" when all he did was look at a forum where you posted pictures of your summer vacation or your myspace.

If you are wondering what shared folders you have on your computer, that would be any peer to peer system, and IE explorer. Or whatever you use.

What you can do however is send someone a virus, or spyware. Of course it's pretty hard to ghost it (make it install without them knowing) which usually requires them making you go to an unknown website, with active X controls and stuff. Of course maybie .5% of the internet COULD write a virus that actually did something worth while to your computer. Most of those are professional programers or tech's, which is a manditory 5 years in jail.

In other words, you just had a stalker who was thinking he was clever, and you didnt fully understand how it works.

I take it you haven't had to deal with linux exploits or Windows overflow buffer issues.

i had a hacker that got into my paypal account a number of yrs ago and they tried to take money that i didnt have in my account... i changed my passcode and everything and every now and then i still check my account to make sure everything is ok with it...

Thats right

I trust people too much sometimes

I'd go

me2

I know, it's because you are a good person.

I am finding that many people are just mean and stupid. But that is a topic for another day.

you, on the other hand, are wonderful.

so are you Nora

I think people should be very careful about thier accounts. Mark your computer as non accessable. Hide your Ip address. And run virus and spyware protection. Never use fill in programs like gator. Never keep your passwords signed into programs if anyone else has access to your computer. Do run a firewall and scan your computer a minimum of once a week for both viruses and spyware.

Hacking into computers is a whole lot harder than most people think. If someone told you this, they are pulling your leg.

So are you saying is it hard or are you saying it isn't

Yes and keep your software up to date. Go get the latest!

One other type of thing which is very common is tracking where you have been on the internet. Some companies use the information for advertisements. Its an accepted means of marketing but is also a potential invasion of privacy.