Hackers in the system

One thing that always raises a smile from computer techs is when a user cries "there's a hacker in my computer."

While I'd never discount the real threat of hackers, the reality is usually far more mundane. Usually the "hacker" turns out to be a virus or spyware. If it is a person, that person is usually a family or staff member.

So a phone call from a client saying Bigpond had blamed her high Internet bill on hackers made us raise our eyebrows. The usual thing we ask when we get such a call is "do you have a teenager in the house?" Sure enough, one of her sons had moved home a few weeks previously.

A quick inspection of the computer found Limewire with the default file sharing settings enabled. The prodigal son denied all knowledge.

It must have been a hacker.