# I think someone connected to my back without my permission - Help please



## hanson (Aug 11, 2010)

Someone connected to my MAC not back lol

Some minutes ago i was online and all of sudden the shared option shows up on my side bar with a little computer image written:
shared valued-12ef4461

what can i do to prevent this from happening again? Should i format my mac? I was using an unknown internet wi-fi that my mac found, please im really tense here, can anyone help me?


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## MisterMe (Aug 11, 2010)

Seriously? MacOS X sharing is by default through the *Shared* user account. Don't want sharing? Launch *System Preferences* and turn it off. Turn off sharing or reformat your hard drive? Which to do?


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## ElDiabloConCaca (Aug 11, 2010)

hanson said:


> I was using an unknown internet wi-fi that my mac found, please im really tense here, can anyone help me?


Calm down.  No one has connected to you.

If you were using a public wi-fi hotspot, or some other unknown wireless access point, then it's likely that all that happened was that your Mac found another computer on the network that had some kind of sharing enabled.  Macs do this -- they will periodically scan the network for other computers and display them in the Finder's sidebar if those other computers have some sort of file sharing enabled.  That's it.  It doesn't make a connection to the other computer, it doesn't make your computer visible to the other computer, and it doesn't "open" any doors for the other computers to connect to you.  It is simply showing you that there are other computers on the network that you could, potentially, connect to if you so desired.

This doesn't mean that the other computer has connected to your Mac.  It doesn't even mean that they can "see" your Mac.



> what can i do to prevent this from happening again?


In the future I recommend using only wireless hotspots or wi-fi access points that you know and trust.  If you use wireless access points that you are unfamiliar with, then it's likely that other computers are using them as well.  If you want to get on a wireless connection that only you have access to, then you will need to obtain your own internet access (DSL, Cable, etc.) and your own wireless router.  Until then, you should expect to have to "share" wireless with other people/computers, if you intend on using other people's wireless internet connections.


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## Satcomer (Aug 11, 2010)

Well maybe the application Who Is Connected might be something you want. Then there is /Applications/Utilities/Console to check up what you Mac is doing and who connected With running logs.


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## hanson (Aug 11, 2010)

Thanks everybody that answered me.

ElDiabloConCaca, thanks so much, your answer was really helpful i was using an unknown connection because my personal internet was down but from now on im only using the own i have at home that is password protected and all. Thanks so much for your time


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## amandak695 (Sep 8, 2010)

ElDiabloConCaca said:


> Calm down.  No one has connected to you.
> 
> If you were using a public wi-fi hotspot, or some other unknown wireless access point, then it's likely that all that happened was that your Mac found another computer on the network that had some kind of sharing enabled.  Macs do this -- they will periodically scan the network for other computers and display them in the Finder's sidebar if those other computers have some sort of file sharing enabled.  That's it.  It doesn't make a connection to the other computer, it doesn't make your computer visible to the other computer, and it doesn't "open" any doors for the other computers to connect to you.  It is simply showing you that there are other computers on the network that you could, potentially, connect to if you so desired.
> 
> ...



Thanks you for the post.


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