My wireless network appears to have been compromised

Here's an interesting message dialog that I just got on my new laptop:

The full text states "The wireless network appears to have been compromised and will be disabled for about a minute."

This happened when I had connected to my MacBook Pro from a wired Mac Mini and was transferring some files between them. The MacBook Pro was also downloading a file inside Parallels at the same time. The local network is on a TrendNET router using WPA-PSK as the wireless security option.

I'm pretty sure this is a false alarm. Googling the message returns a few other people who have seen it, and one of them mentions a TrendNET router is involved.


Posted by dustin on November 3, 2006 with category tags of

21 comments
Happened to me too - usually when transferring large files through a wireless network.
  → comment by Lucas on December 13, 2006

Yeah, I've had this thing happen a few more times since I posted this. It's somewhat annoying.
  → comment by dustin (#1) on December 13, 2006

This has happened to me too. I'm surprised I don't find more information about it. Worst is that this time, the network won't come back. Looks like Mac OS X wireless driver has failed. I was making heavy use of the link, receiving a big file and sending it to an NFS mounted drive.

Mac OS X has not been good to me the last few days. Many crashes, hangs. I don't think the system is corrupted, I think I'm doing things that are apparently out of the mainstream. Not looking very impressive in the stability department.

I am NOT using a Trendnet router, I'm using a DLink.
  → comment by David M on January 26, 2007

I have a Dlink router and it keeps happening to me. Especially when I'm uploading a lot.
  → comment by Grant on January 28, 2007

I continue to get this error every once in awhile. Here are some more forum posts about the issue:

http://forums.macosxhints.com/showthread.php?t=26414
http://forums.macosxhints.com/showthread.php?t=52086
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=255659
  → comment by dustin (#1) on January 29, 2007

I've been getting this message a lot all of a sudden. I get it about 3 or 4 times and I have to turn airport off and on again to be able to re-connect.

I'm going to change my router password just to be sure.

I'm running a Linksys WEP54G router with default firmware (replacing one with a dd-wrt firmware flash).
  → comment by spike on August 2, 2007

erm wrt54g router... with WPA encryption.
  → comment by spike on August 2, 2007

This problem is still happening on Apple's new Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, unfortunately.

  → comment by dustin (#1) on November 15, 2007

I get the problem every time I wake my macbook up from sleep. To work around I cannot let the macbook go to sleep while connected to the wifi. I shut off airport, then close the lid.
Annoying, but better than the restart that it normally requires.
Does anyone know the service that controls airport? I suspect that a kill of the service would trigger launchd to respawn and may fix the issue without a restart. Two post Leopard updates have addressed ominous wireless issues now with no success in addressing this.
  → comment by Jason on November 17, 2007

I don't need to restart my mac to get wireless back, just wait a minute and re-select the network in the menu.
  → comment by dustin (#1) on November 19, 2007

Hope this might help... I just installed a WRT600N, dual band wireless... and was having this issue (never did this with my 'old' WRT300N)... I could copy a 2gb file from my NAS to my iMac and it would raise this error EVERY time. I ended up setting my WPA2 to use AES instead of TKIP and it SOLVED the problem... I have copied the test file over 10 times now and it is perfect! I'm getting 270 Mbit/s solid to my AP and that 2gb file copied over in 4 minutes flat!

Hope this might help with others having this problem. Am running 10.5.1.
  → comment by Kevin on December 17, 2007

I to have been getting the message. "The wireless network appears to have been compromised and will be disabled for about a minute" I do have my sister who is in the other room also running on the same router. It's a Netgear dual wireless router. Any suggestions on how to make this stop?
  → comment by Matthew Cullen on August 4, 2008

I was having this problem while using a macbook pro connected to a Linksys WRT54Gv8 with DD-WRT installed. It would show up most often while using Skype. Switching from TKIP to AES solved the problem immediately!

Thanks for the help.

Good luck!
  → comment by Tim on August 25, 2008

I got this error when I installed a Linksys WRT610n.
Had to specify "open system" in Authentication type instead of "auto". The problem is gone now.
  → comment by Maurice on September 5, 2008

This is enough to make me go back to PC. I made the switch and got this Mac Book Pro and I constantly get this message. I have looked at tons of people having this problem and there has been no fix. I am using a Netgear WRT600N (it still happens with my linksys router too) and have used TKIP and AES, as well as a combination of both. I have plenty of other wireless devices in my home all of which have no problem. Maybe there will eventually be a fix for this...
  → comment by Clint on September 11, 2008

I'm using a Linksys WRT610N dual n wireless router, and I've received the same message on my 2.16 ghz macbook and my 2.4 ghz aluminum imac. I haven't been able to nail down any specific circumstances that cause it. I know it's not a problem with the network, it's wpa2 encrypited with mac address filtering. Any ideas
  → comment by Hessmo on November 7, 2008

I have the answer. Go to the Linksys website, 192.168.1.1; Sign In; click the 'Wireless' tab; click Wireless Security; in Encryption 'field' change from "WPA-TKIP or WPA2-AES" to 'AES'. Done, GTG, happy webbing.
  → comment by Rorary Prisock on November 15, 2008

Switching from WPA-TKIP or WPA2-AES" to 'AES' should fix the problem I tried it and it worked immediately as Kevin as well as others have stated. Thanks to for the info about the change in encryption.
  → comment by Dragoon Empire on June 22, 2009

I have 3 Imacs and 1 Macbook Pro wireless throughout my home/office. This message started to appear after I installed a Netgear Range Max Dual Band router. Sometimes I have to clik "ok" on the annoying little window 5 or six times! before it goes away. I almost feel like I'm back in the PC world. Anyone use the router I just installed?
  → comment by Jay on August 6, 2009

Jay, I have the Netgear Range Max Dual Band router and am having the same issue.
  → comment by Wes on August 12, 2009

http://kb.netgear.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/7734/session/L2F2LzEvc2lkL1pzeHBpbExq

i'm going to try this since i noticed it starting to happen when i installed the new router
  → comment by nessa on October 25, 2009

   

Vorg — Tag Cloud

Written by dustin
Latest Photo
Quote of Now:
Friends
Popular Posts
Computer Games

Hey You! Subscribe to dustin's RSS feed.
Or get wider opinion in the Vorg All Author feed.

 
 

Members login here.
© Vorg Group.