[jmc]

So, I'm merrily playing SecondLife. Suddenly, I'm back at the login screen. Not slowly, like when I log out, but like I locked the screen. So I go back in. Put my password in, lets me back in. I finish SL, close out and think... ohoh. So I lock out the internet through ZoneAlarm and try to change my password. Every time I hit a particular letter, I'm logged back to the Welcome screen. WTF? So now I'm really worried. So I shut down the computer. It tells me there's more than one person logged on and do I want to? Since there should only be one, I say Heck Yea, and then use the power button to shut it down.

That's when I remember I have wireless on that PC now and not ethernet. I figure, if this is bad, that account's already compromised, I don't want an invader getting a second password, so I log back in, lock ZA, and disable the wireless, just as fast as the system will let me. THen, I change my password, to as strong as I can think of.

Now I'm running a full antivirus scan, followed by malware scans

This laptop is hardwired to the router, had a look at the router, didn't find anythign untoward, 'cept it's WEP because I haven't changed it yet because one of the computers connected can't do WAP. It's coming off the network though, as I warned, tonight.

So, was this an attack, or just some Microsoft weirdness. I have seen were suddenly keys will have strange "meanings", I think because I type so fast I hit some sort of keystroke that remaps them or something. But the "second user" on my computer worries me more, as that account is the only one that's been logged on that computer for months and months. I'm the only person who uses that computer.

Thanks for any advice. I'm going to go back to quietly panicing now

But, was this just a weird computer glitch, or was my wireless network hacked

[Ryoushi]

I would've expected ZoneAlarm to bring up a warning if it was to do with your network, did it not?

[lunarlander]

You said "Every time I hit a particular letter, I'm logged back to the Welcome screen. WTF? So now I'm really worried"

What letter was that ?

[jmc]

Sorted it out. Somehow the windows key got stuck, and Win+L locks the screen. The other bit, I'm told is that if you log off from the lock screen, Windows is a bit stupid and give the "multiple user" error even if there's only one logged on. I've never shut down this computer from the locked screen, and the other computer usually *does* have more than one logged on to it, so I just never noticed.

As for ZA not noticing, I never assume I have 100% protection from my systems, well, protections, if something looks hokey. Malware authors actively try to find ways to circumvent system security, so I have to assume when I think there might be a virus or an attack, that they've found a way to bypass things.