Question about IP addresses and hackers.?

Question

I was recently bullied by a hacker. I happened to be on a computer at work (i work at a hospital) and this person came up in a chat window and told me they had my ip address and they knew where i was and they would be watching and if i didn't comply my life would be taken from me... all my files and patient personal information is on my computer. Can a hacker actually gain access to my files and check my email and actually keep tabs on me or was it just a scare tactic? Please I need an answer Im kinda freaking out here. Thanks.

Answer 1

Came up in a chat window?  What kind of chat window?  What hospital still has patient records on a hard drive?  You put patient info on a hard drive and you don't encrypt it?  It's probably a good idea to call IT just in case, but you have some serious IS policy issues to deal with.

Most hackers aren't destructive, but many are real a******s.  Hacking got a bad rap because some moron made a movie called "Hackers".  If a tinkerer found a liability, he may have tipped you off just to get you to fix it.  He probably shouldn't have been in there, though.

Answer 2

Sounds like a Trojan Horse virus. These are the most basic, simple to use virus because it can be transmitted virtually anywhere. E-mails, pictures, IM, etc. If someone has your IP address there is NO WAY that they can track you down to your location unless they work for the FBI. Especially since you work at a hospital you are going through router IPs, Modem IPs and internet IPs so the odds of them getting directly to you is slim to none. What you need to do is unplugg the internet from the computer and run a virus check, if you have internet on the trojan virus wont let you remove it. There no need to worry, it was just a scare tactic.

Answer 3

I am a site administrator, whoever visit my site i get all information about them, where do they belong,  from where they come, how much time they  stay, and most important there ip address.

But you will amazed to know that i can't do anything with that data. Because knowing ip address of any computer is not difficult thing

read  second step of this tutorial http://5steps2hack.blogspot.com/2008/07/...

but to hack using ip is most difficult thing and require lots of if and buts

Answer 4

Generally no, the easiest way is if you downloaded something on the computer from a fishy site, or a file that looks fishy. Sure the IP Address shows a general location to where you are, but it doesn't completely open up a door to your PC. Best bet is to be safe, because if he wanted to hack you, he would've without telling you I'd imagine. It was more than likely a scare tactic from a "bot" in a chat room wanting personal information which could've led to even more trouble.

Hope this helps, and maybe someone else can give a more clean cut answer.

~SDangeR

Answer 5

very likely a scare tactic. Your hospital almost certainly has a firewall and a proxy so that your computer is not identifiable or easily seen by other computers on the internet.

I don't think you have anything to worry about. But be vigilant and report it to your administrators if it persists.

Answer 6

First of all do not use online chat programs on work PCs for the very fact your creating holes in your security.

Most likely this was some douchebag trying to scare you. When someone is going to or is hacking they will rarely broadcast this to the target as it gives the target time to track them or try and stop them.

Plus if the person did have your IP and wanted to show how good they were they would have told you that you are at IP blah blah, which is located at blah blah.

Again but do not use chat sites/programs on work PCs.

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Update.

Anyone that gives this a bad rating is an idiot. I have sacked people for using chat programs on the network I admin. Plain and simple. Using chat programs and sites is a serious security risk.

Further more ya being paid to work, not to chat with friends. The work internet is not for chatting it is for work related requirements. Your home net connection is for chatting and wasting time.

And yes I am at work right now but as I am a network admin I make the rules so they don't apply to me.

Go on tell me I am wrong. All you admins out there know we dont have to follow the rules cause we know what we are doing. More importantly we monitor the logs. LULZ

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Update 2

That lamers movie "Hackers" had nothing to do with vilifying the hacking community. Pre-2k it was mainly thx to bloody kevin mitnick and his need to gain global reconition for his exploits and need to show up the US government.

Answer 7

Ok i would like to know firstly how he managed to penetrate the security on a hospital network i myself work for the health system and maintain the networks here but i think maybe your IT people need to look at this.

so if it was just on msn or something you can actually obtain an ip address but this IP address is shared for all the other computers sitting on the hospitals network , yes they all have individual host ip's but there public ip address is the same.

This is more likely to be a scare tactic then anything , probably some 14y/o kid with nothing to do , i also wouldn't believe he could get access to your files unless you have enabled file sharing on your files and remote admin and have the windows firewall turned off.

If your worried get your IT people to check their logs for any incoming traffic that looks out of the ordinary and also get them to disable any file sharing services you may have enabled on your machine.

Answer 8

wellwellwell a few scarey peeps here today,, lets start off by saying this. the guy that you mention sounds like a typical noob.a wab,.nothing more. agreed with the first comenter. WE DONT TELL YOU YOUR A TARGET. thats just dumb.

now ask yourself this why in the world would anybody want into your system? do u  buy stuff online with credit cards hm.. personal info stored on the pc like home addy phone ssn? if not no worries whats he gunna get some id pws..pls.. you dont sound like much of a target at all ifyou ask me.no worries get yourself a good anti virus and firewall.. i suggest kaspersky anti virus and comodo firewal... not many will get past the 2 i can lol but inm sure others could care less. realistically though. who cares.. it isnt hard to get an ip and IT ISNT HARD TO CHANGE IT EITHER..

Answer 9

If you have windows without a firewall (and even then....) it's possible. Your best bet would be to inform your IT department. They would know if they're bsing you, and will change your IP for good measure.

Usually this is a scam. Did he say he installed something illegal on your comp and ask for money not to turn you in? Because that's an oldie.

Answer 10

Lets make this clear, real hackers would NEVER tell their victims that they have their IP address and are going to steal their important files.  The guy you encountered is simply a douchebag.

A true hacker can and will gain access to anything you have as long as you are a target.