Was I being hacked?

I almost visit Amazon.com every day but today the website became very slow, I tried to click on something it took forever to reach another page, I then tried to visit another site, the speed was great.

I first thought it was a problem of Amazon.com, then I unplug the LAN cable and re-plug it, the site ran very fast again.

What was probably the reason for the site being slow before I unplug the LAN cable?

In general, is it easy, moderate or difficult for someone who knows me and wants to hack me (e.g. accessing or looking my computer files)? Assume he cannot have physical access to my computer.

Hi there
Amazon running just fine here -- just used it to import 48 bottles of delicious Belgian Duvel triple (8.5%) Beer !!!!

cheers
jimbo

Barman58 said:

Because of the way that the internet works - As a Web of connections - each time you connect to a particular site you are unlikely to use exactly the same route. What can happen is if you connect via a certain route where a particular node is running slowly this will of course cause the system to appear slow. The act of disconnecting and reconnecting can route via a different and better route and thus improve the perceived speed.

Assuming you take normal precautions against hacking, Anti Malware, Firewalls Router NAT and you are not some type of large financial institution, that presents a viable target for hackers there is not much to worry about.

The hackers want to make money, and to do this with the best "Bang per Buck" possible so the likelihood of spending their time hacking an individual are not great

Hi. Thanks for the reply!

How about If I am asking about the "Feasibility" and "Difficulty" , instead of "Probability"

For example, if someone hates me so much and he is a software programmer (real case). Under Windows 10 system, I don't have extra AV or firewalls installed, I don't normally click on suspicious sites or almost never executed received email files.

How difficult is someone to target my computer?

In other words, does he need to be a VERY genius hacker to be able to hack into my computers?

Barman58 said:

Hacking is the act of breaking built in levels of security protecting computer data, this is a rather specialist thing, as much an art as a "job" it is not a form of programming but more a form of code breaking Puzzle solving and similar, government hackers are often recruited from top universities for these very skills. In the UK it used to be thought that many were recruited from those who could complete the Times Crossword in a few minutes

A regular programmer will be as likely to successfully Hack someone over the internet, as you average street pickpocket will be able to rob a major Bank. You can purchase hacking kits on the web, If you can find them, which is not easy, to perform specific tasks but these are not cheap as they have the ability when used correctly to unlock secure systems protecting high value targets .

A programmer may, given free physical access to a computer, be capable of writing code to remotely access the system, but remotely accessing a system cold is more of a specialist job

Hi there
absolutely agreed

I know a thing or 2 about engineering (Doctorate from Imperial College London) !! and have used Windows for donkeys years --and also know a little about OS's -- did an IBM course years ago on the very successful Mainframe OS they had OS/MVS which was the first really robust system with decent security, privilege levels, virtual paging and multi-user --many of those things still incorporated into modern OS's today.

However I could no more hack a Windows kernel on my own machines --never mind anybody else's -- than I could swim the Atlantic Ocean.

I could easily though operate some of the more common scams -- so that IMO is where home users need to concentrate their efforts on rather than endless discussions over incredibly eseoteric viruses like rootkits and cpu hacks etc etc. These sorts of things are directed at big companies or even countries (to break infrastructure etc).

Why should anybody devise hours and hours of quite skilful computer knowlege to get 50 EUR out of my Bank account !!!!!!

Of course be careful and use computers safely but don't overdo it in the "Fear dept".

Cheers
jimbo