I can hear someone else typing.

[Scrumper]

Not sure which section to post this but since I am using Lion, I'll put it here.

Ok, this has only happened once but it's got me really intrigued and a little concerned. I was surfing the net and suddenly started hearing the sound of someone's laptop. I could hear the whirr of their fans, the sound of them typing and clicking, some shuffling of papers and even their breathing and coughing! Clearly I was somehow picking up someone's built-in mic but how on earth could that be?

I closed all browser windows but the sound continued. I was going to look deeper by checking the internet traffic (as far as I understand what I am looking at) but then the sounds stopped just as suddenly as they began.

My main concern is that if I can somehow hear someone else, can they hear, see or log what I am doing? Not that I was doing anything I shouldn't but it's the principal, of course.

I have seen a few posts in Windows forums about this sometimes occurring but never in the Mac community and the replies given have always been incredulous and dismissive. So any ideas about what just happened?

 

[simsaladimbamba]

Do you have flatmates?

 

[Scrumper]

Do you have flatmates?

No.

 

[simsaladimbamba]

Checked your widgets (Dashboard) yet? Maybe check the Console for hints.

 

[Scrumper]

Checked the console log and there are loads of instances of
Firewall: Stealth Mode connection attempt to TCP 192.xxxxxxxxx from xxxxxxxx
Does that mean I am being hacked?

Also, funny you mentioned widgets because the console log also includes this:

10/04/2012 20:45:30.156 com.apple.Dock.agent: CPSPostEventRecordTo failed -600 /Users/studio3/Library/Widgets/iStat Pro.wdgt/
10/04/2012 20:45:30.157 com.apple.Dock.agent: CPSPostEventRecordTo failed -600 /Library/Widgets/Weather.wdgt/
10/04/2012 20:45:30.157 com.apple.Dock.agent: CPSPostEventRecordTo failed -600 /Library/Widgets/Weather.wdgt/
10/04/2012 20:45:30.157 com.apple.Dock.agent: CPSPostEventRecordTo failed -600 /Library/Widgets/World Clock.wdgt/
10/04/2012 20:45:30.157 com.apple.Dock.agent: CPSPostEventRecordTo failed -600 /Library/Widgets/World Clock.wdgt/
10/04/2012 20:45:30.157 com.apple.Dock.agent: CPSPostEventRecordTo failed -600 /Library/Widgets/Dictionary.wdgt/
10/04/2012 20:45:30.158 com.apple.Dock.agent: CPSPostEventRecordTo failed -600 /Users/studio3/Library/Widgets/bpm.wdgt/
10/04/2012 20:45:30.158 com.apple.Dock.agent: CPSPostEventRecordTo failed -600 /Library/Widgets/Unit Converter.wdgt/
10/04/2012 20:45:30.158 com.apple.Dock.agent: CPSPostEventRecordTo failed -600 /Library/Widgets/Unit Converter.wdgt/
10/04/2012 20:45:30.159 com.apple.Dock.agent: CPSPostEventRecordTo failed -600 /Library/Widgets/Calculator.wdgt/

 

[simsaladimbamba]

192.168.0.1 or similar is your own home network address, and your firewall is just doing its job*. Nothing to worry about.

found via "Stealth Mode connection mac console"

----------

Also, funny you mentioned widgets because the console log also includes this:

10/04/2012 20:45:30.156 com.apple.Dock.agent: CPSPostEventRecordTo failed -600 /Users/studio3/Library/Widgets/iStat Pro.wdgt/
10/04/2012 20:45:30.157 com.apple.Dock.agent: CPSPostEventRecordTo failed -600 /Library/Widgets/Weather.wdgt/
10/04/2012 20:45:30.157 com.apple.Dock.agent: CPSPostEventRecordTo failed -600 /Library/Widgets/Weather.wdgt/
10/04/2012 20:45:30.157 com.apple.Dock.agent: CPSPostEventRecordTo failed -600 /Library/Widgets/World Clock.wdgt/
10/04/2012 20:45:30.157 com.apple.Dock.agent: CPSPostEventRecordTo failed -600 /Library/Widgets/World Clock.wdgt/
10/04/2012 20:45:30.157 com.apple.Dock.agent: CPSPostEventRecordTo failed -600 /Library/Widgets/Dictionary.wdgt/
10/04/2012 20:45:30.158 com.apple.Dock.agent: CPSPostEventRecordTo failed -600 /Users/studio3/Library/Widgets/bpm.wdgt/
10/04/2012 20:45:30.158 com.apple.Dock.agent: CPSPostEventRecordTo failed -600 /Library/Widgets/Unit Converter.wdgt/
10/04/2012 20:45:30.158 com.apple.Dock.agent: CPSPostEventRecordTo failed -600 /Library/Widgets/Unit Converter.wdgt/
10/04/2012 20:45:30.159 com.apple.Dock.agent: CPSPostEventRecordTo failed -600 /Library/Widgets/Calculator.wdgt/

Some of those widgets rely on information downloaded from the internet.

 

[Scrumper]

192.168.0.1 or similar is your own home network address, and your firewall is just doing its job*. Nothing to worry about.

OK, that's good to know - thanks. I guess I just panicked a little due to my lack of knowledge. I'm still a bit concerned over the sounds I heard though...

 

[drambuie]

This may be off base, but could it be possible that the unknown system had a bluetooth mike that your Mac connected to?

 

[Scrumper]

This may be off base, but could it be possible that the unknown system had a bluetooth mike that your Mac connected to?

Thanks for the suggestion but I didn't have bluetooth enabled, unless you think I could have connected to it via wifi...

So I did a scan using ClamXav, just to see what I might find and I was dismayed when it found quite a lot of stuff. No idea if any of this stuff could have left me vulnerable to attack/hacking but here's a screen shot in case anyone can throw some more light on it.

 

[Inggy]

Did you ever resolve the issue?
On my MAC laptop, I heard typing and papers being moved and like an open window where you could hear traffic.
Previous to that, I heard talking but it was very faint, on and off. The third time, which was today, I heard a woman speak very clearly.
Should I take it to a MAC store for service? I don't want to spend the money and then this happens again a couple of months from now. Some people are saying it's truckers CBs, or walkie talkies. But that doesn't make sense with typing and all the heavy traffic i heard.
I do not have external speakers.

Not sure which section to post this but since I am using Lion, I'll put it here.

Ok, this has only happened once but it's got me really intrigued and a little concerned. I was surfing the net and suddenly started hearing the sound of someone's laptop. I could hear the whirr of their fans, the sound of them typing and clicking, some shuffling of papers and even their breathing and coughing! Clearly I was somehow picking up someone's built-in mic but how on earth could that be?

I closed all browser windows but the sound continued. I was going to look deeper by checking the internet traffic (as far as I understand what I am looking at) but then the sounds stopped just as suddenly as they began.

My main concern is that if I can somehow hear someone else, can they hear, see or log what I am doing? Not that I was doing anything I shouldn't but it's the principal, of course.

I have seen a few posts in Windows forums about this sometimes occurring but never in the Mac community and the replies given have always been incredulous and dismissive. So any ideas about what just happened?