authenticated user and torrent!

Hi I'm the only user of my computer and I don't belong to any kind of user groups but for some time now I keep finding that I have this Authenticated user which I disable from time to time (it appears regularly) but today IT decided to play harder I cant download any torrent I get ''unable to download to... and access denied'' messages.I wouldn't mind that it exists it just that my computer and browsing is so slow and when I disable that account everything gets to be normal for some short time.Please help me with this.

It sounds like to me you have a Virus, at the least a Virus. What concerns me is you have an unauthorized user account that was created with out your knowledge. If I read your post right. If that is the case, it sure sounds like to me your computer has been compromised (hacked).

You could spend the time to run your anti-virus and all kinds of malware and spyware software to try and get rid of the issue (hacker). If it were me, I would flat out reformat and start completely over with a nice new clean system.

I would have to agree with Bass. Whether someone has physically created that account after gaining access to your system, or if it is just a piece of malware, this is the kind of problem which only truly goes away with a complete system wipe and reinstallation. There's simply no telling what other backdoors into your system have been created.

You should be safe to backup any pictures, music and movies but DO NOT back up any sort of program files; not even Steam (if you use it). Game saves and anything in the default Windows "My [Folder Name]" folders are similarly at risk.


Out of interest, what antivirus program do you use?

O I know its a virus and I don't believe that format will solve anything, this PEEPING TOM is quite persistent and I wouldn't mind, let him watch, except it slows down everything and now I can't download!, I guess I made him mad or something, it is after all Sunday and he is probably bored.If I knew who he is I'd invite him over here ...anyways is there any way I can do something about my download please?

Why do you not believe that wiping your system and starting from scratch will solve anything? This will remove any traces of any program that may have made its way onto your system.

Also remember that the vast majority of cases like this don't even involve someone sitting there 'spying' on you. There are potentially thousands of what we call 'in the wild' viruses which propogate through the internet without any guidance from their writers.

Like oxymoron02 said...the format will wipe all traces of the infection. Then this will be the perfect opportunity to set up your security parameters...change everything. User-name and password for starters. Then if this is a wireless network...change those as well and most importantly turn off your SSID for your wireless. Then make sure you have a firewall installed and active.

The above is brilliant information, changing your wireless aswell. If you need any help with that, of course post back here :)

I'm not convinced that formatting will solve this cause this has been going on for some time now and all my scans reveals nothing.
How many users should there be ? I have: me, administrator, system plus this authenticated user which I've disabled.
Anyway I don't have time for this I just want to make my torrent work how can I return everything back to how it was?

mobius101 said:

I'm not convinced that formatting will solve this cause this has been going on for some time now and all my scans reveals nothing.
How many users should there be ? I have: me, administrator, system plus this authenticated user which I've disabled.
Anyway I don't have time for this I just want to make my torrent work how can I return everything back to how it was?

The only user should be you, with administrative controls built in.

I think you might have your priorities on backwards, with downloads being #1. Torrents can pose risks to your system, anything you download could be infected by the uploader. Your main hope lies on a strong antivirus that is being updated, not manipulated.

A clean install can help you walk away from this.. though it may take an hour to do so, and a little preparation. You have a friendly attitude towards the "Peeping Tom".. I can assure you that whatever it is, it is not as friendly