What is .ICEauthority hidden file in my home directory ? . I notice my machine a little slow, and I'm wondering if my system is being compromise. I'm not running any server, and there is only one user, ME. I read this line " MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE " inside that file. In one instance I notice around three hidden files with this name " .dcopserver_localhost_0 " and all of the sudden they disappear in front of my eyes. Can anyone help me understand what's going on?
I notice something. This is the way when I open terminal that the first line in terminal use to look;
[jmr0311@home-desktop jmr0311]$

Now, after I seen all this unexplicable behavior in my system I notice the line in terminal has change to this;
[jmr0311@localhost jmr0311]$

I haven't done any change to my system. How that got change without the intervention of someone ? I being running my mandrake system for about three month using the way it was [jmr0311@home-desktop jmr0311]$ without any problem. Why now the system decide to change on its own or perhaps maybe someone did it. Just a note, the last application I install in my system was 'Firestarter". I don't know if this had anything to do with the change.

Javi

The .ICEauthority, .dcopserver, and MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE are all normal files for a system that uses XWindows and are involved in authentication. Checkout the man pages for X and Xsecurity for specific info on what the files do. The change in command prompt probably has to do with either a change in the hostname or X's inability to find out what it's own hostname is. Try turning off the firewall temporarily and then restarting X. Also check the system logs, error logs and XFree logs for any relevant error messages. Also verify that the systems hostname has not been reset.

The hostname got change, cause I was looking in " /etc/hosts " and this is what it say's now ;
This is the content of " .xsession-errors " from my system;