Programming Praxis

I’ve been without internet connectivity for three days following a potential hacking attack against my home network:

1. The light on my router flashes continuously, indicating data transfer, even when I’m not using my computer.
2. I noticed file with extension .bin being downloaded to my Android tablet; I had not requested any such file, nor was I notified of any downloads.
3. There are numerous “connection requests” on my router log; I am not running a publicly available server, and there is no reason for anyone to be requesting a connection to my network.

I called my service provider and spoke to a supervisor. He suspects a hardware problem in the router, and is shipping a new one, which will arrive in a few days. In the meantime, I have shut down the old router. I can see how a new router might fix the first item, but not the other two.

I’ll let you know how I get on. In the meantime, I’ll appreciate any suggestions anyone has. I don’t even know if I’ve actually been hacked.

I haven’t had time to write an exercise, nor do I have a way to upload it; I’m writing this note at my office. I’ll be sure to have one next Tuesday.