Virus compromising network?

[drewmeister11]

I recently got a message from my internet provider telling me that there had been 62 accounts of copyright infringement from my network in the last 90 days. While I have certainly downloaded items in the past, it was nowhere near that much. Also, it was for many things I have never heard of/have no interest in (French version of Game of Thrones, various porn movies, Sex and the City season 1-6, etc.). While my network was listed as open (wasn't aware that it was, but that is now remedied), it's not like I live in a crowded area. I live out in the country, and would surely notice if someone was parking their car outside my house for several hours, especially since somebody is ALWAYS home.

Is it possible for people to download things remotely over your network, either via hacking or a virus? Or is someone stopping by at 2 AM and just sitting outside downloading movies?

 

[PsyKhiqZero]

Yes it is possible for a hacker to use your connection to download then forward the traffic to their system.

Also living in the country you would be surprised how far wifi can travel in open air.

 

[moulderhere]

Change your wifi password on your router, maybe its open or to easy to crack.

 

[drewmeister11]

Yes it is possible for a hacker to use your connection to download then forward the traffic to their system.

Also living in the country you would be surprised how far wifi can travel in open air.

But wouldn't I need to have the file on my computer before they could forward it? And if they are doing that, how can I stop it?

 

[PsyKhiqZero]

In theory, no. The virus could send the traffic straight to the remote pc. Since it was your pc that made the initial connection you would get blamed for any pirating. It would be harder to track the file once it's been bounced off your IP.

Stop pirating. Nothing is free and hackers aren't looking to do you favors. They aren't risking themselves, doing the work and paying for sites so you can get stuff for free. Think about it.

Only sure fire way is to reinstall the OS. Remove any pirated files from the system till the os is updated, then get a av and scan the files. But really that's no guarantee.

 

[ko888]

Who reported the copyright infringement? IP addresses can be easily spoofed.

 

[derek3ton]

do you have any kids around the house that could be downloading and going to porn sites?

 

[mjslakeridge]

You should be able to log into your router to see the devices that are/were connected to the network. I don't know how long devices stay on the list if they haven't been connected for some time. Earlier this year I was working on a friend's 2 computers here at my place and had them connected to the network (1 wifi, 1 ethernet). For several months after the computers were taken back by him, they still appeared on the list. They are gone now, it has been 8-9 months. I am on AT&T U-Verse, so it may differ from provider to provider.

If you spot an unknown device on the list, you won't be able to identify who is using your wifi (unless they named their device with someone's name), but at least you will know it was connected at one time and you may be able to block it.

If that's not it, then maybe someone else in your house was downloading the files (Teenagers?)