Hey folks.. looking for a network security guru that might offer me an opinion.
I have a Toshiba laptop, running Windows 7.. My wireless connections (no hardwire connectivity) consists of Wireless "routers" essentially acting as WiFi hotspots off the local cell network in Jakarta, Indonesia (I have several of them offering redundancy of connection options)..
So.. I had noticed this a month or so ago, but didn't think anything of it.. But it reoccurred last night and I grew concerned..
The situation.. I was on the net, using one of my 3g wireless routers, and my networks were the only ones that were visible in my vicinity. No one else in my apartment building here showed a network within range that I could see or connect to it. Just my 2 networks showing up..
Suddenly my computer connected to a network called "Network 31".. I go the normal "home", "Work", or "Public" connection options, but there was no way to disconnect the network. It did not appear alongside my own two networks.
So now my laptop is connected to both my own network, as well as this "Network 31", as reflected in the "Currently connected to" box.
So, in order to discern what this "network 31" was, and did it actually represent an actual internet connection, I disconnected from my own networks and actually turned the routers off.. so that I was only connected to "Network 31" (still not visible to me as an available wireless network)..
Low and behold, I was still connected to the internet.. and a pretty good speed too..
But I couldn't disconnect from the network.. I actually had to go into device manager and disable my NIC to finally break free from this connection.
Again, this wireless connection was never visible to me until my computer connected to it..
Thoughts? |
