Dumb question

So my folks for the last 2 years haven't had there wireless router password protected and somebody just recently has taken advantage of it.

Not me or my folks have pirated anything from the web but today my folks got a message from our internet provider (Comcast) stating that someone illegally downloaded a movie (District 9) using our internet connection. Is there someway I can check what computers have used our connection if possible?

Also sorry if this is a REALLY dumb question.

 

WoW....Comcast really called and said that?

Anyhow, what make and model Wireless Router is it?

What OS are you using?

 

They didn't call, they e-mailed. It is a linksys wrt54g wireless router version 3. They are using the 32 bit version of Vista I believe. My mom calls those types of E-mails nastygrams. (Telegrams)

 

Hehe....there are basically two ways to see who if anyone is connected to your network. Take a look at Step Two. <----

To see connected devices on the Router open an Internet Browser window and type 192.168.1.1 in the address field and hit enter. The default username should either be admin and the password section should be blank (empty field); or the other way around, press enter to log in.

I've flashed my Linksys Router with dd-wrt firmware so the stock config. pages may be different. But for me, under the Status tab --> LAN section I can see the devices connected to my Router. I highly recommend you change the default log in username/password if the hackers haven't boldly done so for you guys already; and also set WEP or more preferably WPA encryption on the Router. Once all the network devices at your moms place are compatible with WPA there's no question that you should secure it using that encyption.

If the intruders have already changed the log in username/password then you can always hold down the pin hole at the back of the Router for approx. 30 secs. to reset it to it's factory settings.

PS: The thing with checking via the Router though is that you really don't get that much info. except for the IP Address they are using and their MAC address. Whereas by browsing via the computer you can at least get a Computer name.

Then again you can do an nslookup command using the IP Address in command prompt to try and retrieve a Computer name. (But I believe that only works in a domain environment.)

 

not really.... i mean most routes have logs.. but it wont help you find anyone. most people that go around logging into other peoples routers to do stuff like that are smart enough to spoof everything, even their Mac address, so its hard to catch someone a long time after the fact....

best bet is to lock down your network good.... WPA2. I limit my router to only have enough available addresses for the LAN as i have machines that connect, then i reserve all the IPs for the machines that connect... so machines not on the reserve list don't ever get a valid IP and can't join the network cuz its out of IPs.... does that really stop anyone? no, it just slows them down, since they can listen in and spoof MACs...


if you really want it locked down, turn it off when its not being used.. when you turn it on to use it go in and configure it for your one computer that your using, and no others... (if you have a machine on all the time, just leave that one locked in and don't turn it off). Don't ever leave it where you can log into it easy, always make it where you have to get in and reconfigure it to get in... get a router that uses random security codes for log in too to slow down/stop the password cracker programs too.

 

Not necessarily, and the logs wouldn't say much except for when whoever connected and what sites/connections they have made.

PS: The OPs best bet is to first back up the config. settings of the Router, and try to set it back up to a working state. If you have problems reload the config. settings, set a username/password for the log in and enable encryption.

 

My dad managed to set up the password and such, We also figured out who downloaded the movie.

 

Cool....it sounds like an inside job.

 

It was our neighbor, My Dad was talking to him and they started to talk about movies. Our neighbor was a little disappointed that his friend that goes to China on regular business trips hasn't sent him any new movies (including ones that are still in theaters) so he said he gets some of them through the web now. My Dad cursed him out after he said that.