Cable modem activity light continuously flashes

I was just wondering if I'm the only one who hears my hard drive crank on
occasion, with the activity light flashing. I know it could be spyware.
I've done plenty of sweeps in the last few days with numerous programs, not
to mention virus checks. I've also run tlist -s to see what my 4 svchost.exe
processes are doing (nothing out of the ordinary) and also check my task
manager regularly to see all the processes running.

I know it could be Windows accessing the net or the Norton AV program, or
even Zone Alarm blocking incoming missiles.

Do any or all of you notice your activity light flashes on a regular basis?

Moe Hair <mohair@nospam.com> wrote in
news:Xns94AE9E6D8159mohair@news4.srv.hcvlny.cv.net:

> I was just wondering if I'm the only one who hears my hard drive crank
> on occasion, with the activity light flashing. I know it could be
> spyware. I've done plenty of sweeps in the last few days with
> numerous programs, not to mention virus checks. I've also run tlist
> -s to see what my 4 svchost.exe processes are doing (nothing out of
> the ordinary) and also check my task manager regularly to see all the
> processes running.
>
> I know it could be Windows accessing the net or the Norton AV program,
> or even Zone Alarm blocking incoming missiles.
>
> Do any or all of you notice your activity light flashes on a regular
> basis?
>
The activity light flashing is a normal occurrence on the router. You want
to know if packets are leaving a machine, then use Ethereal (free use
Google) will tell you.

You want to see what connections are being made on the machine; you can use
Active Ports (free). I like to put an Active Ports short-cut in the Startup
folder to see what's happening at the boot with a clear picture of events.

You want to see what's using SVChost.exe because Spyware or a Trojan can
use SVChost.exe on their behalf; you use Process Explorer (free) to look at
the processes that are using SVChost.exe.

You want to better protect the LAN, then use IPsec that's on the NT base
O/S to supplement the router and any host base FW on the machine.

http://www.petri.co.il/block_ping_t..._with_ipsec.htm

http://www.analogx.com/contents/articles/ipsec.htm

The AnalogX zip file has a SecPol file that can be applied to the machine
to protect the ports.

You can use the Host to help protect on outbound connections by spyware.

http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm
http://accs-net.com/hosts/HostsToggle/

BTW, if svchost.exe is not running out of the system32 directory, it's a
Trojan.

HTH

Duane

"Moe Hair" <mohair@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:Xns94AE9E6D8159mohair@news4.srv.hcvlny.cv.net...
> I was just wondering if I'm the only one who hears my hard drive crank on
> occasion, with the activity light flashing. I know it could be spyware.
> I've done plenty of sweeps in the last few days with numerous programs,
not
> to mention virus checks. I've also run tlist -s to see what my 4
svchost.exe
> processes are doing (nothing out of the ordinary) and also check my task
> manager regularly to see all the processes running.
>
> I know it could be Windows accessing the net or the Norton AV program, or
> even Zone Alarm blocking incoming missiles.
>
> Do any or all of you notice your activity light flashes on a regular
basis?

One of our machines had the same problem. In the end, I used CWShredder,
Ad-Aware, SpyRemover (SpyBot Search and Destroy), and Easy Cleaner. Look at
the startup programs (MSConfig or Ad-Aware). Track down any programs you
don't recognize. A major telltale was hidden .exe and .dll files in
Windows, System, System32. So, unhide everything in these directories. If
you have a suspicious file executing, rename it out of the way (foo.exe to
X_foo.exe). That way you will be able to recover if it's a required file.

Actually, I've noticed that the lights on my cablemodem will flash almost
all the time even when every computer I own in powered off. I don't know
why the put the lights on them, since they obviously don't mean anything
(except when they are all off, I'm sure its not working :-).
--
>>==>> The *Best* political site <URL:http://www.vote-smart.org/> >>==+
email: Tom.Horsley@worldnet.att.net icbm: Delray Beach, FL |
<URL:http://home.att.net/~Tom.Horsley> Free Software and Politics <<==+

Cable networks are shared networks not unlike an Ethernet segment. All nodes see activity
on the same trunk.

If you are worried, get a Cable/DSL Router such as the Linksys BEFSR41 and use WallWatcher
and you'll log and see what activity is at you cable WAN IP.

Dave



"Thomas A. Horsley" <tom.horsley@att.net> wrote in message news:uk71kbc5v.fsf@att.net...
| Actually, I've noticed that the lights on my cablemodem will flash almost
| all the time even when every computer I own in powered off. I don't know
| why the put the lights on them, since they obviously don't mean anything
| (except when they are all off, I'm sure its not working :-).
| --
| >>==>> The *Best* political site <URL:http://www.vote-smart.org/> >>==+
| email: Tom.Horsley@worldnet.att.net icbm: Delray Beach, FL |
| <URL:http://home.att.net/~Tom.Horsley> Free Software and Politics <<==+

"Moe Hair" <mohair@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:Xns94AE9E6D8159mohair@news4.srv.hcvlny.cv.net...
> I was just wondering if I'm the only one who hears my hard drive crank on
> occasion, with the activity light flashing. I know it could be spyware.
> I've done plenty of sweeps in the last few days with numerous programs,
not
> to mention virus checks. I've also run tlist -s to see what my 4
svchost.exe
> processes are doing (nothing out of the ordinary) and also check my task
> manager regularly to see all the processes running.
>
> I know it could be Windows accessing the net or the Norton AV program, or
> even Zone Alarm blocking incoming missiles.
>
> Do any or all of you notice your activity light flashes on a regular
basis?

It does the same thing for everyone I know who has cable Internet service.
Nothing to worry about. If you are really worried about it, unplug the
ethernet cable from rthe modem when you're not using the Internet.

-*MORT*-

In article <Xns94AE9E6D8159mohair@news4.srv.hcvlny.cv.net>,
mohair@nospam.com says...

> I was just wondering if I'm the only one who hears my hard drive crank on
> occasion, with the activity light flashing.

Probably not; it has happened to me. However I have always been able to
figure out what is happening. So far, I have always traced the activity to
something I installed, and have running.

> I know it could be spyware.

Or worse. A surreptitious FTP server storing warez, pirated mp3 files, and
pornography on your disk. A spammer's proxy spewing MLM, MLF, MPB, pill
scams, mortgage scams, etc., etc..

> I've done plenty of sweeps in the last few days with numerous programs, not
> to mention virus checks. I've also run tlist -s to see what my 4 svchost.exe
> processes are doing (nothing out of the ordinary) and also check my task
> manager regularly to see all the processes running.

> I know it could be Windows accessing the net or the Norton AV program, or
> even Zone Alarm blocking incoming missiles.

But you need to know what it actually is. Keep checking until you are
positive that you know why it is happening.

> Do any or all of you notice your activity light flashes on a regular basis?

Well, I can't say that my connection is like a cable connection. A DSL node
is not shared on the "Last Mile"; the copper from the premise to the
telephone company is not a community node as is the same "Last Mile" on a
cable system.

--
Norman
~Win dain a lotica, En vai tu ri, Si lo ta
~Fin dein a loluca, En dragu a sei lain
~Vi fa-ru les shutai am, En riga-lint

N. Miller <nsm@blackhole.aosake.net> wrote in message news:<MPG.1ac4e4c4b062cdb2989e0f@msnews.microsoft.com>...
> In article <Xns94AE9E6D8159mohair@news4.srv.hcvlny.cv.net>,
> mohair@nospam.com says...
>
> > I was just wondering if I'm the only one who hears my hard drive crank on
> > occasion, with the activity light flashing.
>
> Probably not; it has happened to me. However I have always been able to
> figure out what is happening. So far, I have always traced the activity to
> something I installed, and have running.
>
> > I know it could be spyware.
>
> Or worse. A surreptitious FTP server storing warez, pirated mp3 files, and
> pornography on your disk. A spammer's proxy spewing MLM, MLF, MPB, pill
> scams, mortgage scams, etc., etc..
>
> > I've done plenty of sweeps in the last few days with numerous programs, not
> > to mention virus checks. I've also run tlist -s to see what my 4 svchost.exe
> > processes are doing (nothing out of the ordinary) and also check my task
> > manager regularly to see all the processes running.
>
> > I know it could be Windows accessing the net or the Norton AV program, or
> > even Zone Alarm blocking incoming missiles.
>
> But you need to know what it actually is. Keep checking until you are
> positive that you know why it is happening.
>
> > Do any or all of you notice your activity light flashes on a regular basis?
>
> Well, I can't say that my connection is like a cable connection. A DSL node
> is not shared on the "Last Mile"; the copper from the premise to the
> telephone company is not a community node as is the same "Last Mile" on a
> cable system.


A modem always does this. It is communicating with your ISP to keep
the connection going. I would not worry about it. Install a program
that monitors your upload and download speeds, this will let you know
what is going on. If you are uploading all the time, then you have a
problem.