an intruder alert ?

[patrickdarcy]

i am using the 64 bit verson of cauldron. a few weks ago i decided to not use a firewall for the first time ever.
today when i went to start up folding at home i got a message that said "here u go"

and then later when i started it again i got advertising for houses for sale here in austin and in chicago.
i got my firewall back up but this is the first time i have ever seen anything like it before.

i started folding up again witht the firewall turned on and so far nothing.

has anybody ever had a similar experience ?

[Ken-Bergen]

I would think that most users that turn off the firewall are behind a firewalled router not a direct connection.
Is this the case with your connection?

[patrickdarcy]

I would think that most users that turn off the firewall are behind a firewalled router not a direct connection.
Is this the case with your connection?

the router i am working off of is a windoes machine that my roommate has. im not sure how she has it set up and i would never ask
her. she is pretty crazy and would freak out.

one day i heard her screaming at the cable company gujy and telling him the internet connection was not working for at least
a couple of hours. she then asked me if my internet was up. it was and i told her it was. i mentioned to her that instead of
hollaring at the cable company that if she would just reboot her windoes machine, her connect might work. she ignored me
but then later rebooted and it worked.

a couple of days later as i walked by her with my cup of coffee in hand she made the statement that i had lied to her about my
internet connection working. it was crazy. i explainted to her that there would be no reason i would tell her it worked if it
didnt.

anyway i went to ................. shields up and did some testing with my firewall on and all is well