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intok (banned)
join:2012-03-15

intok (banned) to jaykaykay

Member

to jaykaykay

Re: A plea from a friend

said by jaykaykay:

Does anyone have any specific ideas for this person who wrote me a plea for help?
"I have had someone in my computer moving my cursor around while I’m sitting here watching. When it occurs it is usually when I’m writing something derogatory about a non-friend via email.

»www.linuxmint.com/ Problem solved.
intok

intok (banned) to tobicat

Member

to tobicat
Yeah, my guess is their optical mouse doesn't lioke the surface they have it on or something is causing enough vibration to make it move ever so slightly.

I have a "nervous" tick in my leg, I subconsciously bounce it up and down, tirelessly for hours on end, I don't even notice I'm doing it till I hit a resonance point with something in the room and it starts moving enough to start making noise or the monitor starts rocking back and forth.

This has been more then enough to get mice moving around the desk on slick surfaces.

Pjr
Don't Panic
join:2005-12-11
UK

Pjr

Member

said by jaykaykay:

When it occurs it is usually when I’m writing something derogatory about a non-friend via email.

said by intok:

something is causing enough vibration to make it move ever so slightly.

Pounding the keys while typing something derogatory?

Midniteoyl
join:2013-11-22
Knox, IN

Midniteoyl to jaykaykay

Member

to jaykaykay
Logitech mouse/keyboard with a Unifying receiver? Could be more than one mouse is connected

jaykaykay
4 Ever Young
MVM
join:2000-04-13
USA

jaykaykay to DownTheShore

MVM

to DownTheShore
The bad language program would not be needed. No small children using the computer, and the only other person that might use it, though doubtful, would be the husband.

What is referred to when the words change are not bad words, unless one is politically involved, and she is. So the so called changed words would simply be words she tries to enter and cannot so switches to using a similar one.

I presume that Outlook is being used.

Have not heard from her today, so either she is spooked or something really happened yesterday after trying to figure out what what was going on that created a further problem.
Fickey
Terrorists target your backbone
join:2004-05-31

Fickey to intok

Member

to intok
said by intok:

Yeah, my guess is their optical mouse doesn't lioke the surface they have it on...

This. My first instinct was the RDP theory, but that's been covered. But, I have observed pointers wander when laser/optical mice are used on a surface they have trouble interpreting/differentiating (no actual movement or vibration needed). The editing of emails could then be covered by the auto-correct theory.

ash
@101.172.170.x

ash to jaykaykay

Anon

to jaykaykay
How's their screen resolution as. Good as it should be
My whole system ended up copied live to a remote location recently ' which is why I'm not a regular any more. It was done with legit ms additive........go figure.

jaykaykay
4 Ever Young
MVM
join:2000-04-13
USA

jaykaykay

MVM

I still don't know what has been done or not on my friend's end. I have received email from her but it seems to look different than the day before yesterday, so I am not sure what's going on. She seems to be using stationery whereas that was not done before. I have written and asked if all is OK and fixed there, and if so, what was done so that I could post back here, but so far...nothing. Strange. Will let you all know if something you said helped when and if I get a response to my question to my friend.

DownTheShore
Pray for Ukraine
Premium Member
join:2003-12-02
Beautiful NJ

DownTheShore to jaykaykay

Premium Member

to jaykaykay
said by jaykaykay:

The bad language program would not be needed. No small children using the computer, and the only other person that might use it, though doubtful, would be the husband.

What is referred to when the words change are not bad words, unless one is politically involved, and she is. So the so called changed words would simply be words she tries to enter and cannot so switches to using a similar one.

Can you give us specifics of what words she tried to use and what they changed to? And just to clarify - are they changing on their own, or is it that she can't send the email so she is going back in and changing words herself? Perhaps that might give more of a clue.

Could she have possibly misspelled the words once and accidentally saved the misspelling to the email program's dictionary, so that when she spells it correctly it's now kicking out as a misspelling? Does the word she originally typed have that squiggly line underneath it that indicates a misspelling and she can't send the email because of that? Then that would be some sort of spell check program blocking the email.

I was looking around online and came across this:
»www.wordbanter.com/showt ··· ?p=57838
which has to do with wrong characters being typed in Outlook.

Here's something about Outlook adding random words to emails:
»email.about.com/od/outlo ··· 2705.htm

Just to throw this out there (and not meaning to offend) - she's not pre-Alzheimer's or anything like that, is she?

Midniteoyl
join:2013-11-22
Knox, IN

Midniteoyl to jaykaykay

Member

to jaykaykay
Hmm.. Wonder if she's thinking it was you messing around..?

Phoenix22
Death From Above
Premium Member
join:2001-12-11
SOG C&C Nrth

Phoenix22 to Midniteoyl

Premium Member

to Midniteoyl
you'd have to have both turned on
i have 2paired
Phoenix22

1 recommendation

Phoenix22 to Midniteoyl

Premium Member

to Midniteoyl
doubtful........jkk isn't like that....
in addition........i would dump the mouse ..........head 2staples or amazon and get the logitech wireless KB and Performance Mouse MX.(glides on anything)....with the unifying usb receiver/transmitter

»www.logitech.com/en-us/p ··· mouse-mx
»www.logitech.com/en-us/k ··· eyboards

my experience is flawless hardware ...i have an S520 and Performance MX
jd

DownTheShore
Pray for Ukraine
Premium Member
join:2003-12-02
Beautiful NJ

DownTheShore

Premium Member

This just reminded me that I used to use the Microsoft Arc mouse in the past, and when it would start to go bad, strange things began to happen with the mouse pointer on the screen. This happened with both of my Arc mice.

captnhook
join:2001-02-20
NY

captnhook to jaykaykay

Member

to jaykaykay
Before going bonkers over your friends problem I'd suggest she start with the simplest probable cause of errant mouse behavior and that being as many have previously posted, a dirty or malfunctioning mouse.
I would also suspect a corrupted driver in either the keyboard or mouse software.
The first thing I would do is uninstall and then re-install both the mouse and keyboard software and see if the problem ceases, next thing I would try is give a new mouse a try.
If this doesn't solve her problem I would then suggest she look at having a trustworthy and competent tech give her machine a check up.
Lastly if nothing else works I'd go with a scrub and install a newer OS.

jaykaykay
4 Ever Young
MVM
join:2000-04-13
USA

2 recommendations

jaykaykay

MVM

I really appreciate all of your help. It seemed as if it would be a simple fix, and apparently, it was...ultimately. She talked to Geek Squad again who suggested that she try a new mouse. such a simple answer. Whether they were placating her or it was someone from Geek Squad, I don't know, but at this point, I am done and I maybe will never know. In the meantime, you guys gave some fabulous responses and I will keep this post so as to be able to refer to it again.

Smiler
@websense.net

Smiler

Anon

It's obviously nothing to do with the mouse or keyboard. When she let the "Microsoft" folks onto her computer remotely, somebody installed remote access software, and is still logging into her computer, and messing about with her. Possibly switching the webcam on as well (Google search "RATTERS") for more information. I would disconnect it from the internet (pull the lead out of the wireless router if it is a laptop) and run a full security scan on it from multiple antivirus and anti-spyware vendors. If that doesn't find anything then maybe it is the mouse and keyboard. I would still reinstall the entire operating system to try to make sure that all remote access files are gone.

jaykaykay
4 Ever Young
MVM
join:2000-04-13
USA

jaykaykay

MVM

You are actually quite right. That said, think 3 letter initials. I am not trying to be devious, but this was something I suspected from the start but needed more things for her to do before saying anything. She finally got help from someone in the know and now knows what is occurring. Sometimes, it's not nice living and/or working using a computer.

DownTheShore
Pray for Ukraine
Premium Member
join:2003-12-02
Beautiful NJ

3 recommendations

DownTheShore

Premium Member

Somehow I think that if the CIA, NSA, or FBI is accessing her computer for some reason, they're not going to be wasting time moving her cursor around or censoring her typing. If she is important enough to be surveilled by an alphabet agency for some reason, they are not going to give themselves away by silliness like that and make her aware that they have access.

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, and a bad mouse is just a bad mouse....
Mele20
Premium Member
join:2001-06-05
Hilo, HI

1 recommendation

Mele20

Premium Member

Plus 1

It seems ludicrous that it could be federal surveillance.

Smiler may be right though that the "Microsoft" folks she let on her computer installed malware.

If this is CIA, NSA, etc, and this was suspected from the beginning by the OP, then I object strenuously to the OP treating us like we are guinea pigs and showing no respect to us.

jaykaykay
4 Ever Young
MVM
join:2000-04-13
USA

3 recommendations

jaykaykay

MVM

I was not treating anyone like a guinea pig! And, as always, I have and have had nothing but respect for all who help in this forum. I will not start (continue) anything here, but your saying this kind of thing to me is preposterous. Enough said. Had I known anything from the start, I would never have asked nor would I have tried to help my friend.

As importance, you know nothing about her, or what she does, I can understand why you suggest that she isn't, but I know differently. Some people are known for many things, and if one is politically oriented in any big way today, they are quite likely to be 'followed' in some manner. Yes. Someone is toying with her now, but given experience many are having in our country now, it's not impossible that just toying is just beginning. In any event, I have passed on everything that was said to my friend so as to be of help on that end, and ultimately it was. I don't feel I need to say any more. I have nothing to defend...even if that is what you intimidated.
jaykaykay

1 recommendation

jaykaykay to DownTheShore

MVM

to DownTheShore
I didn't say that that was the only thing going on. It would have been a lot easier had it been just a bad mouse. It wasn't, and the same thing(s) still occur with a new one.

Blackbird
Built for Speed
Premium Member
join:2005-01-14
Fort Wayne, IN

2 recommendations

Blackbird to jaykaykay

Premium Member

to jaykaykay
said by jaykaykay:

... Some people are known for many things, and if one is politically oriented in any big way today, they are quite likely to be 'followed' in some manner. Yes. Someone is toying with her now, but given experience many are having in our country now, it's not impossible that just toying is just beginning. ...

If, indeed, someone "professional" has hacked into her system and is interacting with it remotely, there is simply no way to truly be sure the system is clean thereafter, without nuking it from low earth orbit. Depending on who and how they might have done it, the chances of not getting it all cleaned out using 'ordinary' cleanup methods are simply too great. If the "playing around" is merely to send an intentional message to alarm her, there is no assurance that even if that particular perhaps-visible malware was removed by 'ordinary' means, other more deeply-embedded, 'quiet' snooping malware might have been left behind. (Think rootkits, mbr exploits, and zero-days... whatever is in their arsenal.) If outside agencies are actually involved, the system must be assumed to have been deeply and utterly compromised.

DownTheShore
Pray for Ukraine
Premium Member
join:2003-12-02
Beautiful NJ

1 recommendation

DownTheShore to jaykaykay

Premium Member

to jaykaykay
Time for a new computer and a new router, then, it sounds like.
Mele20
Premium Member
join:2001-06-05
Hilo, HI

1 recommendation

Mele20

Premium Member

No, time for this person to get off the internet if she values her life.

DownTheShore
Pray for Ukraine
Premium Member
join:2003-12-02
Beautiful NJ

1 recommendation

DownTheShore

Premium Member

Or at least moderate her language and tone in future emails, since whoever she sent them to either took exception or passed them on to someone else, if her computer is indeed compromised because of that.

She apparently brought a knife to a gunfight.

jaykaykay
4 Ever Young
MVM
join:2000-04-13
USA

jaykaykay to Blackbird

MVM

to Blackbird
Rootkits is what I had thought about. I know this person well but I also know that her security skills might not be the highest level. I would have suggested an anti rootkit for her, but in all honesty, I figured that if she was already compromised as much (deeply) as it seems, it was time for me to back out and let her "pro" take care of whatever. Suggesting nuking the system was not something I felt I could do.

Snowy
Lock him up!!!
Premium Member
join:2003-04-05
Kailua, HI

1 recommendation

Snowy

Premium Member

A sophisticated malware will not show any of it's activity when using the netstat command but normally (almost always) netstat will show a rogue connection.

I'd suggest she run netstat whenever the mouse moves.
»howto-screenies.blogspot ··· tat.html

The output would explain a lot of what is or isn't happening on the system.

DrStrange
Technically feasible
Premium Member
join:2001-07-23
Bristol, CT

1 recommendation

DrStrange

Premium Member

I'll take jaykaykay See Profile at her word if that's what she says is happening. I haven't known her to be a tinfoil hat.

If you want to be sure, have someone run a packet sniffer [Wireshark or similar] on the LAN with the suspect computer. To be safe, this should be on a known clean computer that's either expendable or running in a sandbox or running a VM.

If the machine's rooted, you probably won't see processes running as an ADS [or using Gods know what other stealth tactic] in netstat. But you would see the traffic with a promiscuous sniffer on another machine on the same LAN.

[Cut out a political rant before I posted it. Bob had better stand down anyway. We know what he did last summer.]