Q: HACKED! Someone just took control of my cursor while I was on the Internet! They started to open files and search through stuff but I immediately shut down my computer! I have been hacked and I need to know how to fix my problem???

Agreed it's great. And also shows one (well, I at least) still can make basic mistakes after all these years. Even if this was quite good at disguising itself. ..

By the way, both of you will get a like since I awoken this zombie thread and wasted your time with a non-issue.

Aw, Martin --

You didn't waste anyone's time.  I'm just glad you came here to ask.  And to record your solution for future readers. Congratulations on your great sleuthing!

Thanks. The funny thing is I was sitting at home (not at work) and tried to be rational and think things through and then I came to think about the USB hub with the mouse connected… Now at work and have confirmed it was what like I suspected.

I guess I can at least partialy blame my easiy deceived brain being the way it is since I have a 7 months old kid at home that some nights keep me awake. So I'm not the exactly the sharpest mind currently…

PROBLEM SOLVED!

Thank the Lord! My mouse cursor was moving erratically, seemed to be opening tabs, maybe doing the equivalent of holding shift and dragging, minimized windows, etc. Pretty much the same problems I see on other's posts.

I tried dissonnecting WI-FI, then shutting off Bluetooth, Disconnected and Turned off my Bluetooth Mouse, disconnected my wireless keyboard nub from the USB port, tried shutting off my Macbook and restrarting. I even shut the lid of my Macbook and worked off my second monitor in clamshell mode. NOTHING WORKED.

I thought I was hacked or had some type of Malware for sure, but it was a simple fix that I found on another help board.

I clean my Mac, keyboard and mouse regularly and had just got done wiping everything with a cloth with a mixture of warm water and rubbing alcohol (recommended)

I saw on another board that someone fixed their problem by moving their trackpad (gently) to the right, since the trackpad seemed to be too snug on the left side of the macbook body edge it sits in.

I moved the trackpad over and it took care of my problem immediately.

It was comforting to learn that Malware on a Mac is in fact still rare and that it is unlikely that someone would hack into your computer to 'remote control' your machine and be obvious about it.

No ghost in the machine. Trackpad is incredibly sensiitive I've learned.

Share the knowledge!

Blessings!

That's one that's worth filing away in the brain for future use, thanks!

And just to add a light note to this interesting thread, the whole thing takes me back a few years when i was filling in for another teacher in the media lab of my school. I'd recently learned that I could check their desktops with Remote Desktop, just to make sure none of them was using the lab for **** research or playing poker or anything else that shouldn't have been going on in school time. And then I started reading an essay one boy was checking over. It was really interesting. Unfortunately my reading was faster than his. When I got to the bottom of the page I started scrolling to find out what he was going to say next.

Suddely I was awoken from my concentration: there was a commotion going on in the room. "My computer's controlling itself! Someone's moving my mouse!!!" This boy was seriously freaked out! And then I realised - yes, it was me. A greater teacher would have come clean. I didn't. I stifled my giggles, calmed him down and made him get on with his essay. But the incident still makes me laugh!