[EMCguy]

Came home to find the guest acount logged on, as well as my admin account. My admin account is OK cause that is how I left it when I left in the morning. Getting back at 12:30 PM I find the guest account screen saver scrolling across the screen. The only one home were my cats and my black lab, and they're not talking.

The security log shows that guest logged in at 11:45 AM. But the only possible suspect is my seventeen year old son who would have had to sneak out of school to log in. He says he didnt and I believe him

Of course I'm worried that its a hacker and I'm wading through the security logs trying to fgure out what happened.

1) Is there any easy way to analyze these logs? what should I be looking for?

2) I am in the process of going through my HJT logs, online av scans etc.

3) am I over reacting ? Microsoft has never made a reliable product. I've always been dissappointed with their stuff. Why should I start taking them seriously now. My guest acount is not password protected. Can it just start up by itself? Can my cats do it? I have one cat who likes to sit on top of my scanner/printer, and he is famous for starting copies etc. Could the cat hitting a scan button have done it?


Checking what the guest account did not reveal any activity, but a hacker could have have esaliy erased those logs I suppose.

Bottom line - should I be worried??? How robust is the windows logon process??

I'm using grisoft AVG, its updated, zone alarm free, tea Timer, spyware guard, spyware blaster


Please vote for hacker, cat, or microsoft and give your reasons.

TIA

EMCguy

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my vote goes to the cat...but...you never really know...IF the computer was left at the logon screen (where you click on what user you want) in theory they could have clicked the guest account....

better question...why do you have the guest account still enabled?

[dsenette]

my vote goes to the cat...but...you never really know...IF the computer was left at the logon screen (where you click on what user you want) in theory they could have clicked the guest account....

better question...why do you have the guest account still enabled?

[EMCguy]

I might have guests sometimes ... its a possibility

Point well taken. It should alt least have simple password.


thanks, emcguy

[dsenette]

the guest account should be disabled and burned in the bowels of hedes....IF you ever have guest (i mean honestly who's gonna visit you?pfftttt...j/k) would it be that difficult to have an account named...say...bob that you have a password on that you can remember...when the guest comes to the house...tell them to log on as bob....the guest account (pw protected or not) is one of the biggest security holes in a windows system

[Neil Jones]

My money's on the cat.

One wonders why you leave your computer on when there's nobody there to do anything on it. Your electricity bill must be quite high. Perhaps you should consider putting it into hibernation mode so your scanner loving cat will have to figure out how to switch it on before he/she goes surfing on the internet

[wannabe1]

I agree...cats are trouble!

Why not password protect your login. Then just press the Windows key and L when you leave the machine. Nobody does nothin until that password is entered by you. If you don't set a password, pressing "Enter" will onlock the machine.

wannabe1

[EMCguy]

well it looks like its the cats. Too many cats, not enough recipes


Niel - I'm old school - leave the working computers on 24/7 at least during the heating season (100% efficient)

Dsnette _ love the trunk monkies. Maybe they would want to be a guest. But I'd probably have to name the account monkey, right?


best regards,


EMCguy