Device found on ethernet cable!

hey! glad to find this place!

i am not sure if i'm posting this in the right place, but i thought i'd try it here first.

i recently found a small device clamped on to my ethernet cable on my computer. it was a small plastic box, more rectangular than square, with a hole down the middle to allow it to clamp around the cable. it snaps shut and is easily opened.

inside the box is what appears to be a magnet on both sides, running the entire length of the device, with a little groove on each one to allow the cable to nestle inside just right. it may not be a magnet, but it is very weighty for its size. i have not tested it to see if it is magnetic for fear of maybe messing it up.

i don't really see how this could be any kind of spying device...at worst, it seems all it would do would be to disrupt the traffic through my cable, but i didn't put it there, and i found it today (it was on my work computer, not sure for how long, but it hasn't been very long).

any insight at all into what this could possibly be would be much appreciated. again, thanks for this forum...i look forward to getting involved!

Do you mean you're ethernet cable is plugged into this device???

It is probably a ferrite RF/EMI suppressor. It is used to reduce high frequency noise being induced into the cable. It is probably not a wiretap or anything like that.

www.ferrishield.com...

If someone wanted to monitor what you’re doing on the Internet at work, there is software to do that. If you are curious, you could ask your employer about it. I think most companies will tell you if you are being monitored.

Hal beat me to it!

Originally posted by Hal9000
It is probably a ferrite RF/EMI suppressor. It is used to reduce high frequency noise being induced into the cable. It is probably not a wiretap or anything like that.

www.ferrishield.com...

It might be a 'dongle' which is a security device that allows you to access certain systems (doesn't block, but allows access.) However, you'd have that only if you were on a high security network at work.

If someone wanted to monitor what you’re doing on the Internet at work, there is software to do that. If you are curious, you could ask your employer about it. I think most companies will tell you if you are being monitored.

And that's how they would do it -- with software. We've had that kind of monitoring software (hackers and legitimate businesses) for years.

Hal9000...i think you hit it right on the money. the devices on that site are white and this one is black, but i think that's exactly what i've got here.

why would something like that be snapped onto an ethernet cable?

thanks again!

Originally posted by slimbob
why would something like that be snapped onto an ethernet cable?

Most ethernet cables are already shielded for RF, but the ferrite was probably added as a precaution, or because maybe noise was detected when the network was installed.

thanks again!

No problem.

Does it look like this?



If so HAL is correct. Here is some more information.

www.ce-mag.com...

- One Man Short