Computer Virus Revisited

John T · Apr 28, 2011

A while back I posted my e mail contact list had been hijacked and my entire e mail contact list is getting e mails I DID NOT SEND. I have all sorts (and have used different brands) of spy ware and mal ware and anti virus running and deep scanning AND I REMOVED EVERYONE IN MY CONTACT LIST.... BUT THE E MAILS KEEP GOING TO THEM REGARDLESS

HERES MY QUESTION: My primary e mail is at msn.com but I can use my same e mail address ([email protected]) on Hotmail and I removed all my contacts there also. When I get e mail notices of non e mail delivery (old contacts addresses no longer valid) THEY COME FROM [email protected] and not MSN.COM

Sooooooooooo is the problem with Hotmail account or my MSN account ???????? is it MSN or Hotmail form where my contact list got hijacked???

Again Ive ran all sorts of different spy ware and mal ware and anti virus and deep scanned and removed my contact list BUT THE E MAILS KEEP GETTING SENT AND THIS IS MAKIN ME ANGRYYYYYYYYY

Anyone got a Silver Bullet cure??

A frustrated John T

VaTom · Apr 28, 2011

Have you downloaded and run SuperAntiSpyware?

It worked when we had a nasty problem that neither MS security essentials nor avast could prevent or solve. Over 500 infected files in less than 24 hrs. SuperAntiSpyware's free version saved my butt.
SuperAntiSpyware

wfw · Apr 28, 2011

without looking at the computer I would goto newbiesfourm.com, get a login and ask them there, you will probably need a hijack this log to post. If you don"t want go to them then try techguy.forums.org either one will help you with computers problems

frank

wfw · Apr 28, 2011

without looking at the computer I would goto newbiesforum.com, get a login and ask them there, you will probably need a hijack this log to post. If you don't want go to them then try techguy.forums.org either one will help you with computers problems

frank

karl f · Apr 28, 2011

are your trash and spam folders empty? probably not important, but wouldn't hurt.

Some of those emails are not viral, some are sent from a different account, substituting your email address in the info, and making it appear as bounced mail or something you replied to. If you look at the full headers there are some hints to that, but then you've opened something that might be harmful.
crooked @#$%^&*(())*&*^&^%^%$

A Hotmail and any web accessed account is stored on the Internet. You could have a clean computer and still have the garbage there. Real email accounts require a separate program like MS OUTLOOK to access--it "dials in" to a remote server to empty the contents of your account and stores them in your computer. You wouldn't need a web browser at all if you only wanted email. Originally accounts like that had space limitations that required you to download your messages daily and receiving large photo files wasn't as easy. of course internet accounts gave you even less space then. Now it's all about storage space.

good luck beating the demons

karl f

John Harmon. · Apr 28, 2011

I too use MSN and have had my address book hijacked by a phishing service a Canadien Pharmacy co. uses to sell their meds, mainly Viagra and Cialis. I removed my entire address book but the damage has been done. I also got notice from several Credit Cards that their system had been compromised by a company that another company whose services they use .The trolling company is called Epsilon.Don't know if there is a company common to the credit card theft and the pharmacys use of our address books or not. On the pharmacy page I received, at the bottom there is a unsubscribe offer which I did and that seemed to stop my receiving the notice with my e-mail,but no option to unsubscribe is offered addresses from my stolen e-mails. Apparently there is no option for your stolen addresses except to junk them and ignore them. This is not a virus or malware etc. It is out right theft and I hope the controllers of the Internet are on top of it. My nickels worth.JH

ldj · Apr 28, 2011

If that happens, change your password. They can't send email from your account without your password.

cb · Apr 28, 2011

SORRY TO BUTT IN.. could some tell me what happens to all the stuff you send to the recycle bin and then empty the bin.. i guess it goes somewhere, but where??.. does it stay in the pc, keeps piling up and makes things slower.. have a good day, also pray for all the storm victims..

Allan in NE · Apr 28, 2011

Yep, I agree.

Get away from that browser.

Allan

Howard H. · Apr 28, 2011

Hi John -

As I mentioned last time - it is very likely the emails are not coming from your PC.

I could easily create an email account and start sending out messages under the name of George Bush, if I wanted. And that is the type of thing the spammer is likely doing to you.

Once a spammer has your name and your friends (contact list) associations, they can send out those messages any time they want from any of multiple locations - oftentimes, machines (or other email accounts) they've hacked and have control of.

The real way to tell for sure, is look in the message headers on one of the original spam messages that one of your friends got. That will tell where the message originated from.

I had a case here on campus a while back where one instructor looked like he was spamming all in his department with viagra ads. One day they were coming from South Texas - within three days, the same messages were coming from southern California...

Yet it was quite frustrating to him, since to his friends, it looked like he was the one doing it.

I predict they will just stop on their own before long - since the spammers tend to "keep moving" from email list to email list as well as different spam generation points...

Howard

641Dave · Apr 28, 2011

My girlfriend gave me a laptop to check trailcams on the fly. That was the first PC that I've ever used that wasn't a Macintosh.

I didn't realize how critical it was to have spy ware, mal ware or whatever it's called and all the other protection things needed to keep it safe and secure. I had to have it looked at by a professional once I got some virus on it and locked me out of it. lol. I gave up. I get tired of having to run all that stuff.

I don't surf on it, I don't do anything but check my SD cards from the trailcams on it any more.

I don't know why, but I've got an old IMac I got second hand from work due to upgrades here on the job and I've never had a problem. If you're ever in the market for a new computer, I'd have to suggest a Mac. I know they're expensive but for some reason they seem to be fairly trouble free. Maybe I'm just partial since that's what I first started on but it works for me.

Errin OH · Apr 28, 2011

Wife had the same trouble with Hotmail. She changed passwords and eventusally closed the account. Didn't make any difference. Once they get your contact list they have it. I suspect they are sending emails in your name or have setup a msm / hotmail account and cloned your info. I don't know if you could dig deep enough to see where they are coming from. But ISP providers should be able to. Hotmail won't do crap about it.

rhouston · Apr 28, 2011

When you empty the recycle bin on a PC the entries for those files in the file allocation table are removed. The actual ones and zeros on the hard drive remain until another file is saved and overwrites some or all of the ones and zeros.

John T · Apr 28, 2011

Well, I today changed my Password, YES Ive used Super Anti Spyware (plus others) and it works well in general (no programs helped this) but Im afraid the problems NOT in my computer. So far the spams have been harmles offers to sell electronics etc., never anyything bad yet

I will see what happens now that I've changed my PW (previously removed contacts but that didnt seem to help, they already have the list) but no spy or mal ware or anti virsu has made any difference as they already hacked my list grrrrrrr

Thanks again, lets see what happens

John T

cb · Apr 28, 2011

thanks for the reply and the explanation.i admit i"m not the smartest one at the keyboard. have a nice day

karl f · Apr 28, 2011

and when you delete your web email (hotmail) trash, it stays on the internet servers in a similar fashion until the data is replaced with differently ordered 1s and 0s. and to think they are pushing for cloud (internet only) computing. At least on your own hard drive, you can get applications that will overwrite deleted files with random 1s and 0s....

karl f

karl f · Apr 28, 2011

conspiracy theory:
Microsoft owns Hotmail.
How do you think they test spyware, spam features, virus protection, operating system security holes?

just like the radar detectors and radar guns and radar detector detectors coming from same companies...

karl f

RodinNS · Apr 28, 2011

I've long been of the opinion that ALL of these web based mail services are nothing more than a spam haven. I don't keep any contacts on those accounts I have. I view them as junk accounts and nothing more.
I think most close personal mail is best kept on a paid account on a pop server...

Far as viruses go... I had one on this box in march. Ended up knocking the partition out and reformatting to clean it.... None of the major or special AV products would find it or clean it but it's behavior was still present...
Some you might get by booting off a system CD (read only), then running the AV program. Some of these root kits get buried so deep and cloak themselves... they trick the AV software... and they're adaptive.
So I would not necessarly rule out a virus if other stragne stuff is happening besides the mail problem.

Rod

guido · Apr 28, 2011

Hello John T,
You did not mention what kind of operating system you have. You CAN set your e-mail filter to block all incoming.
Once you KNOW is legit, you select not junk and it becomes a contact on your list.
I don't know if the list you will accumulate will be vulnerable though.
All the spy stuff we run does not seem to ever be enough.
Guido.

JDseller · Apr 29, 2011

Silver bullet??? Dump HOT MAIL. It is just a breeding ground for Virus and spy ware problems.

My youngest daughter refuses to use anything else. I was having problems all of the time. I finally booted her computer off of my home network, Router too. I made her use a separate wireless air card I had left. Have not had one problem since.

Also I never had much luck with any of the "free" anti virus programs. Like Avg. I have been using Norton 360 now for the last two years with little problem. I know many say it is a waste of money but fifty bucks for three computers. Verses about two crashes a year before I started using it. The repair charges where much more.

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