I have a Mac. I am not a power user, as if you couldn't tell. I have
three Macs, the newest being an iMac G4. No matter how I try, I cannot
keep from getting hacked. not that anyone but my husband wants any
information in it. My husband uses a foreign language to get in. A man
named Dr. Mac, work title only, was hired by him to "fix and update"
my computers. He got my encrypted password and since then, no matter
what, my husband ends up with the sign on password no matter what I
put in. Don't laugh at me, just help me. okay? K.

Sound to me like you need to stop whatever behavior you are trying to
hide.  Could lead to divorce.

K13, it is a serious matter.  Did you say that even when you change your logon
password your husband (or others) gets your encrypted password?  

In the Windows world spyware is rampant.  One nasty type of spyware is
called a Keylogger.  A keylogger captures *every* keystroke allowing
even passwords that display on-screen as "****" to be captured and
replayed later. When you change the logon password or your online
banking passwords the nasty keylogger captures it all.

Keyloggers can be either software-based, or, less commonly, hardware-based.  
A hardware keylogger is simply situated between the keyboard and
system unit ("the Computer"). Some can even be hidden inside the
keyboard. Look for something resembling a thumb drive or a "jack" but
with two female ends.

Here are *some* links from Google and are certainly not an endorsement:

http://keystroke-loggers.staticusers.net/hardware-keykatcher/

http://www.keyghost.com/

http://keystroke-loggers.staticusers.net/hardware.shtml


://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=hardware+keylogger

nelson-ga, you sound like you have a dirty mind. we all need privacy
in some areas of our lives, even if it is girl talk on the computer. I
haven't the time to sit in a restaurant and drink coffee while we gab.
Sounds  to me that if you are married, you are a control freek. My
husband also records my phone conversations. I think you and he would
get along just swimmingly.

grthumongous-ga, thank you for your kindness. I am really
inexperienced  when it comes to this sort of thing and I appreciate
all help. He also follows me with the on-star program in the car and I
have to change cell phone numbers everymonth. Does something sound
worng here. I have been in this situation for so long I cannot stand
back and see what is happening. I donnot believe I have windows on my
computer. He uses Unix, Linux and Java a lot. I will check into your
explanation. By the way, how do you use bluetooth? thanx. K.

It's very unlikely he is using a hardware keylogger. Snce you stated
you are not a power user, he would feel safe using a small program
hidden on your computer's hard drive/s.

I would reformat the computers hard drive to get rid of it. This is
the final solution, it WILL work, as long as he doesn't have a
hardware kelogger attached.  Unfortunately, I don't know a single
thing about Mac's.  Hopefully some kind soul will come along and
assist you.

It would help if you clarified what kind of Mac Operating System you
have installed.  Also, locate the installation CD, you'll need it.

I found some instructions for you, it sounds easy:

The Essential MAC - Reformat Your Hard Drive
http://www.essentialmac.com/fix/reformat.html
..."Once you have made a complete backup of the contents of your hard
drive, the actual reformatting is easy. First, you need to boot your
computer from something other than the hard drive that is to be
reformatted. The System Installer CD-ROM would be a good choice. Next,
launch the Apple HD SC Setup program and just click the "Initialize"
button. Answer yes to all of the warnings, then wait 10-15 minutes for
the formatting process (longer for larger hard drives).....Once the
formatting is done, you should install the System software, then
reload your applications and data from the backup..."

Good luck.  And by the way...  Yes, there is something very wrong in your world.

~~Cynthia

K13, I empathize with you in your perilous environment. I hope you
opened this question from another (safe) computer.
Please allow me to clarify something I said about "In the Windows
world spyware is rampant" and "Keyloggers can be either
software-based, or, less commonly, hardware-based".

Spyware that is software-based has to be designed especially for the
operating system (OS) that you run.  You run a Mac and not Windows.
Such software for Macs does exist. I don't know anything about Mac
internals or how prevalent/susceptible Macs are to spyware.  I was
just trying to assert that Windows computers are susceptible to
software-based spyware. By that I mean someone can install a small
hidden program that covertly captures a user's activity.  The user
activity is written to files that can be retrieved by the culprit
either by physically accessing the machine or (worse) by remote
retrieval (harvesting).

Keyloggers are a subset of of the class of "spyware". They can record
all the keys someone hits on a keyboard, even passwords.

Any Spyware software or software key-logger that a Dr. M*c *may* have
installed has the advantage for the culpirt of them not necessarily
requiring physical access to your Mac again.  They would just tap in
and get the data
sent through the internet directly to them.

A hardware keylogger is something not many people know about but is
all *too* simple to install. If installed its chief disadvantage is
the culprit needs physical access to your Mac to harvert the data (by
removing or swapping the keylogger). You can make a visual inspection
for it.

If the culprit or an accomplice do not have physical access after you change 
your password BUT still learn of the new password then a software approach
as Cynthia mentions is more likely (Note: Cynthia is a real Researcher
and I am a citizen.)

If you are the owner of the Mac then it may be a criminal offence to
install spyware on your computer without your consent.  Since you are
married then the "owner" may be BOTH you AND your spouse so he may be
exempt.

Here is a link that makes it a federal criminal offense but that MAY exempt
your husband.

http://www.techlawjournal.com/topstories/2004/20040623.asp

The above link did eventually pass into law in some form in 2004 summer.

And the following is an interim wording of the legislation.  I am not
sure of its final form. But it did pass federally.

http://www.cdt.org/privacy/spyware/20050210ispy.pdf


And here is a link from a recent Florida case where the  5th District
Court of Appeal ruled against a spouse--said it was a felony.  I'm
caution you that
this ruling *MAY* be a State Court (for Florida) interpreting Florida
law  rather than a Federal Appeals Court.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/custom/technology/orl-asecspyware26022605feb26,1,4888845.story?coll=orl-technology-headlines&ctrack=1&cset=true

And here is the whole ruling in the O'Brien matter in PDF format:

http://www.5dca.org/Opinions/Opin2005/020705/5D03-3484.pdf

And now, the important part: It is not normal for someone to
continuously hover over a spouse and they usually get worse and worse.

grthumongous,

Thank you for the clarification. Could you please describe what a
hardware keylogger looks like, where it would be installed/hidden? Can
you link to a couple examples that I can look at to become more
informed? I would appreciate it, and I suspect Kay would too...

~~Cynthia

I forgot to ask...  With a hardware keylogger, am I correct in
assuming that a reformat would not rid the computer of the problem? 
Are they easy to remove?

I feel bad for you but I have to give you some bad news. There is no
way possible to stop this. Even if you find the source of the
keylogger he will be one step ahead of you and detect that it is
removed rather quickly. He will then probably come up with a new
solution. There is no way to completely stop this as long as he has
access to the physical computer.

cynthia,
Check out this site http://www.keyghost.com/ for an example of one  of
many possible hardware keylogging devices. This is almost impossible
to find unless you  know what you are looking for.

Dear Kay, 

I think that Sucker is right on the spot here. The problem is not one
keylogger or spyware or another. It is a problem of domination and
control. I really think that if someone taps your telephone calls, he
(and maybe you as a couple) have some issues - perhaps ones that could
be solved in family-therapy, not by computer experts. I hope I am not
too blunt here, but I was really freaked by your comment that he also
listens to your telephone calls.

aside to Cynthia-ga:
-some of the previous links show images of *one* type of hardware
disguised to look like a plug. Keyboard plugs into device which
connects to computer.
Think of it like a thumb drive/flash memory inside a plug.
-being hardware, it is not affected by anything on, or erased from, the drive

Married?  No.  I'm gay.  Sanctity of marriage means nothing to me. 
(Or to the guys with wedding rings I find at the XXX store.)

You know Nelson, that was a really "straight" answer. Pardon the pun. 
I have also found your statement  to be mostly  true. This husband of
mine is a game player, especially on the computer. I took my computers
out of the house to have the hard drives picked over by legal sources
in San Francisco. It takes time and there doesn't seem to be much
left. I have passed the rest of the answers and resources on to the
right people and perhaps I will get out of this bad situation. I
didn't really know how bad it was until I wrote it down. Enjoy your
life Nelson. kay13-ga