link/act question

[masterG]

Hi,

i have a laptop connected to a cable modem- it is strictly a home pc not attached to anyother computer or device, only the internet. should the "link/act" led light be lit or not. the 100M led is always on- i am guessing that if my "link act" light is always on, that my computer has been hacked. any ideas?

ps. please be understanding- i´m just an illustrator
thanks in advance,
Claude

[pave_spectre]

I take it the cable modem is connected to the network port? (I'm not particularly with cable modems)

If the network port has only one light then it may act as both link and activity lights.

A link light will be on at all times when it is connected to another device regardless of any activity on the link. It simply indicates that there is a connection available.

An activty light will generally be on when information is being transmitted, meaning it will usually flicker.

If it uses a combined link/activity light, it should be always on when connected to another device, but flicker when there is information actually being transmitted.

[masterG]

thanks for your quick response! that actually answers another question i had- the lights on the cable modem. my initial question was actually with regards to my pc network cable and the link/act led (sorry i was unclear). do you have any info on that?

-Claude

[PrntRhd]

Do you have the make/model of the cable modem handy, would help.

And welcome to the PC Guide Forums!
:D

[masterG]

my question is about my netgear network card cable and the leds there. not the cable modem. (although they might have an effect on oneanother.)

i should perhaps clarify- my network card on my laptop has the little connector with 100 M and Link/akt. my concern is that if link/akt is always lit (i´m not on a network) i´ve been hacked. what do u think?

network problems without a network ie. hack-
Claude

[PrntRhd]

I don't think it is as simple as a indicator light on a NIC to see if you are "hacked". (security compromised) I have seen something as minor as a bad patch cable make those lights go crazy.

First, do you have the cable modem firewall enabled? Do you use a software firewall?

Modem firewalls may be NAT which shields you from the outside Internet.
A software firewall allows you to see outgoing traffic so you know if your computer is sending stuff it should not be sending in case something slipped by or you opened an infected e-mail.

[classicsoftware]

Almost all network cards have a link and and activity light. Some cards have a combination of both lights in one where as been explained where it is solid to indicate a link to the network and blinking to indicate traffic.

Depending on your cable setup this may or may not be a problem.

I have the following setup

Cable Modem---->Router------->Network Hub

There are times the the router and cable modem both show activity and there are NO blinking lights on the hub.

I would check carefully, if the hard drive does not blink at the same time as the activity light you are probably ok.

That being said if you are plugging you pc directly into a cable modem without using a router, it's like having multiple sex partners from a VD clinic, sooner or later you're gone get something nasty.

Using a broadband, Cable or DSL, connection REQUIRES you use both a hardware router and a software firewall to be fully protected. Even with the dual firewalls, you should still have a fully up to date AV program and scan regularly for spyware and viral infestations.

If you do not have a router you should perform a full security scan:

1) Download, install and update Spybot. (http://download.com.com/3000-2144-10122137.html?part=104443&subj=dlpage&tag=button)

2) Download, install and update Adaware. (http://download.com.com/3000-8022-10214379.html?tag=lst-0-2)

3) Create a folder called HJT.

4) Download and install HijackThis (http://download.com.com/3000-8022-10227352.html?tag=lst-0-4) in the HJT folder.

5) Run Spybot and fix everything it finds

6) Shutdown your computer. Full shutdown DO NOT re-start.

7) Run Adaware and fix everything it finds.

8) Shutdown your computer. Full Shutdown DO NOT re-start.

9) Run an on line scan from Trend Micro (http://housecall.trendmicro.com/) and or Bitdefender. (http://www.bitdefender.com/scan/licence.php)

10) Run HijackThis from HJT folder. Do not run it from the TEMP or Temporary Internet Files folder as you will be unable to restore the backups created by HJT. After the scan is complete create a log file. DO NOT fix anything unless instructed to by an expert here.

11) Post the contents of the log and the results from the previous scans back here for evaluation.

[deddard]

Originally posted by classicsoftware
That being said if you are plugging you pc directly into a cable modem without using a router, it's like having multiple sex partners from a VD clinic, sooner or later you're gone get something nasty.



That's a seriously good analogy!:D If only people would take notice of this then there would be a hell of a lot less problems. It isn't until you can hand someone a bill for cleaning their system that the seriousness sinks in, and they suddenly realise that around £100.00 for a hardware and software firewall setup doesn't seem that expensive after all.