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OT: Email Hacked again - 4/1/2011 9:24:40 PM

ChezDaJez

Posts: 3436
Joined: 11/12/2004
From: Chehalis, WA
Status: offline

This is getting old. My email was hacked again and has sent out messages with .exe files to everyone in my address book. I assume it is a worm. I use Hotmail and IE9. My system software is Windows Vista. I like them so I would rather not switch unless that is the only solution. I am considering upgrading to Windows 7. I have been told that the issue may not be in my computer at all but may reside with the way Hotmail stores messages online.

My surfing habits are rather benign concentrating mainly on WWII subjects, various home improvment sites and news sites such as CNN. I do not visit porn sites or any other sites that have a high risk of infecting my system.

I have tried Norton but it reports nothing. I currently use AVG and still nothing ever reported. Full system scans always come back clean. I am clueless when it comes to this type of issue. My firewall is on.

I am fairly knowledgeable about hardware as I build my own computers but do not have much knowledge of fixing software issues. My standard tactic after I have exhausted my limited knowledge of software related problems is to reformat and reload everything. Ugh!

Any thoughts on how to prevent and eliminate this problem?

Chez

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Post #: 1

RE: OT: Email Hacked again - 4/1/2011 9:56:56 PM

LoBaron

Posts: 4776
Joined: 1/26/2003
From: Vienna, Austria
Status: offline

4 things that can help:

- If you have not already, activate auto cache clean of IE9. This forces the cache to clean everytime you close all browser windows and adds one
step of security.

- Besides the passive scan of AVG (personally I prefer http://www.avira.com/de/avira-free-antivirus, it is a German scanner always in the top league
of antivirus scanners when I read tests but thats a matter of taste I guess) make it a habit to perform an active scan every 7-14 days, 14 should be enough
because there are always chances of undetected trojans not in the virus library or in files passing the passive check.

- There could be a possibility that not you are the distributor but a friend you trust has bad knowledge on PC protection and you open his/her sent files without
second thoughts, I�d look for patterns there, helped me once.

- Use a router between your PC and the modem because you add a hardware firewall to your security pacage.

Last thought: Windows 7 already tops Vista by far in both stability and ressource usage. I can only recommend it, SP1 increased stability further, so I�d definitely
would give it a thought.

Edit: stupid me, Avira wont help you much if you don�t speak Krautish. No idea if there is an English version...

< Message edited by LoBaron -- 4/1/2011 10:01:19 PM >

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Post #: 2

RE: OT: Email Hacked again - 4/1/2011 10:04:02 PM

witpqs

Posts: 26087
Joined: 10/4/2004
From: Argleton
Status: offline

IE9 is a good start, as it's getting high marks thus far. I use Chrome, and do recommend it. Your choice, obviously. Chrome is currently better security-wise and they are super (I mean super) fast updating it to plug holes. They even use their own built-in Flash so they can update it on the fly as security holes are found. Flash has been a major security problem and so many websites use it. I know you like IE9; I recommend Chrome. Anecdote: a short time ago there was a major update released for Flash (and Reader I think the same day). I saw the post on a security blog and then the update - Chrome had already updated everybody's browser with those fixes three days before. People not using Chrome had to get the notice about an update and do it. Those who don't have automatic checking for updates enabled are really low on luck.

As I understand it, Vista is essentially Windows 7. W7 has a better interface and some other improvements. I do not recall of hearing of any direct security improvements. Indirectly, W7 is more savvy about not bothering the user about things that are likely not a problem. One knock against Vista was that it could forever have you clicking "Yes" to the point where you disabled the queries or just always answered "Yes" without reading and understanding.

Hotmail has had a problem here and there, I have no news about their current reputation. It is Microsoft and they do try hard on security. That might sound silly given all the IE and other bugs over time, but remember that their OS and related products have been number 1 for a long time so they have a bright orange bullseye painted on them.

Recently my wife's email sent out some spam emails with just a link in them to people she had conversed with in that email account. Two in depth scans with products from different vendors turned up nothing and there was no other evidence of compromise. There are many, many compromised websites out there and tons of them are main-stream, not porn or shady illegal download places. The bad guys attack and compromise a web site. You visit the web site. They then attack a weakness in your browser. Maybe they can get through to your PC (break out of their own Sand Box to which they are supposed remain confined), maybe they can't. Even if they can't, maybe they can at least get through to other browser tabs/windows - savvy? If you have Hotmail open in another tab or another window at the same time that they have compromised the currently running browser, then they can do things in that Hotmail session.

You must assume your password is compromised (although it might not be). I'm sure you already changed it. They attached a file - do you know what it was? There is certainly the possibility that there is the same file hidden on your system. If you can get a copy of the file you can scan it to see if the AVG and whatever else you used can recognize it. Truly the safest thing to do is "Nuke it from orbit." and reload, as you know from what you said.

Do you use that PC for banking? If so, nuke it.

(in reply to ChezDaJez)

Post #: 3

RE: OT: Email Hacked again - 4/1/2011 10:21:48 PM

cookie monster

Posts: 1693
Joined: 5/22/2005
From: Birmingham,England
Status: offline

Happened to me twice around Christmas.

Norton scans never picked up anything.

I would recommend you change the password on your email account though.

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Post #: 4

RE: OT: Email Hacked again - 4/1/2011 10:29:14 PM

Nomad

Posts: 5905
Joined: 9/5/2001
From: West Yellowstone, Montana
Status: offline

I had this happen on my yahoo account. I changed passwords on everything I have them on just to be safe. I have no idea how it happened, I use AVG and it didn't report any problems.

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Post #: 5

RE: OT: Email Hacked again - 4/1/2011 10:53:11 PM

bradfordkay

Posts: 8683
Joined: 3/24/2002
From: Olympia, WA
Status: offline

Ban your son from using your computer!!!! j/k

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fair winds,
Brad

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Post #: 6

RE: OT: Email Hacked again - 4/1/2011 11:01:36 PM

JocMeister

Posts: 8262
Joined: 7/29/2009
From: Sweden
Status: offline

Try Avast antivirus. Its free if you use the home edition. I have used it for the last four years and so far so good! Been using it on xp, vista and now windows 7! Its not as intrusive as Norton and can actually be uninstalled without resorting to a complete reinstall of windows.

(in reply to bradfordkay)

Post #: 7

RE: OT: Email Hacked again - 4/1/2011 11:09:48 PM

fbs

Posts: 1048
Joined: 12/25/2008
Status: offline

It's been some 5 years since I last got a virus. Currently I use Chrome with Prevx CSI 3.0. I like Prevx a lot, as the last virus I got went straight through the two anti-virus I was using by then, and then went straight through additional ones I threw at it, while Prevx was one of the 2 that caught the little guy.

I'm also running PC Tools Spyware Doctor in parallel, as it catches registry junk -- although it makes such a fuss with false alarms that it gets boring. Anyway, false alarm is better than no alarm :^D

Both have free detection-only versions.

(in reply to JocMeister)

Post #: 8

RE: OT: Email Hacked again - 4/2/2011 12:12:08 AM

Sredni

Posts: 705
Joined: 9/30/2004
From: Canada
Status: offline

I got a virus recently, on the day of the quake in japan actually. I have AVG free running and it started giving out warnings that I was infected, but it's scans couldn't actually find anything. So I ran malware bytes and installed and ran (and uninstalled afterward) avast, and they found infections in two exe files that had been on my computer for ages without problems. I think I got the virus viewing video's of the quake in japan cause that's the only real behavioral change I had at that time, following random links and viewing random videos of the quake in japan.

Anyways long rambling story short: use multiple virus programs. You only want one running as your primary protection, but no virus program finds all the viruses all the time. Using 2 or 3 (or more) to scan for a virus is better then just depending on one. If you suspect you have a virus but your current program doesn't find anything try another.

And don't use IE.

(in reply to ChezDaJez)

Post #: 9

RE: OT: Email Hacked again - 4/2/2011 12:16:22 AM

Mynok

Posts: 12108
Joined: 11/30/2002
Status: offline

quote:

And don't use IE.

This would solve half the malware problems in the world. Have never used it and never been hacked.

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Post #: 10

RE: OT: Email Hacked again - 4/2/2011 5:10:13 AM

Dobey455

Posts: 445
Joined: 12/28/2007
Status: offline

I would suspect this is not caused by a virus on your PC, but by attacks on the hotmail mail servers. Hotmail is web-based (ie the mail does not live on your computer, it lives on the net.......unless you run your hotmail through Outlook or Mozilla Thinderbird, etc).

Unfortunately the people who do this attack targets that will give them the most return for their time and effort, and so they tend to go after massive, public, online mail storage like hotmail, G-Mail, Yahoo mail etc.
There could be many many ways this has happened, I think it has happened to just about everyone at least once.

Usually what happens is that your e-mail address along with thousands of other is subjected to a Brute Force attack (ie a program just sits there for days or weeks trying millions upon millions of possible password combinations until it finally cracks your account.) Once your account is breached it can be used for pretty much anything the attacker wants.

Hotmail does have a special address to report this to and they will supposedly do everything in there power to bring these evil-doers to justice

. I got hacked once and e-mailed them. They never even bothered to reply, so.....yeah.

Fastest fix is to change your password, make it as complex as you can remeber (ie about 8 -12 characters and a mix of upper and lower case and a couple of numbers maybe even a special character. For example Ch3ZdaJ3z!)

Once you have done this NEVER use the "Remember my Password" option and as people stated above set the browser cache to clear on exit.
If it happens again consider a different mail account provider. I think most internet providers give you a free e-mail account with them when you sign up.
There is no need to change your operating system or your browser unless you want to, as these aren't going to help in this particular situation.

< Message edited by Dobey -- 4/2/2011 5:11:38 AM >

(in reply to ChezDaJez)

Post #: 11

RE: OT: Email Hacked again - 4/2/2011 5:41:40 AM

witpqs

Posts: 26087
Joined: 10/4/2004
From: Argleton
Status: offline

If you use the same PC for banking or other financial access then why take the chance? Nuke it.

(in reply to Dobey455)

Post #: 12

RE: OT: Email Hacked again - 4/2/2011 10:38:17 AM

ChezDaJez

Posts: 3436
Joined: 11/12/2004
From: Chehalis, WA
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: witpqs

If you use the same PC for banking or other financial access then why take the chance? Nuke it.

Believe I will just as soon as I get AE up and running on the wife's laptop.

Appreciate all the advice guys. I've changed every password I can think of including my bank's and Hotmail.

Let's see if it works. Might as well upgrade to Win 7 at the same time.

Chez

_____________________________

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Post #: 13

RE: OT: Email Hacked again - 4/2/2011 11:01:35 AM

PresterJohn001

Posts: 382
Joined: 8/11/2009
Status: offline

I got hacked a couple of times. Stopped when i changed my password to a alphanumeric non word based one.
Good way to do this is based off an address or car reg number or even your unit numbers :)

(in reply to ChezDaJez)

Post #: 14

RE: OT: Email Hacked again - 4/2/2011 11:35:05 AM

ChezDaJez

Posts: 3436
Joined: 11/12/2004
From: Chehalis, WA
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: PresterJohn

I got hacked a couple of times. Stopped when i changed my password to a alphanumeric non word based one.
Good way to do this is based off an address or car reg number or even your unit numbers :)

I've always used an alphanumeric password with a combination of capitalized and non-capitalized letters and it is at least 9 characters long.

Chez

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Post #: 15

RE: OT: Email Hacked again - 4/2/2011 2:04:38 PM

bigred

Posts: 3599
Joined: 12/27/2007
Status: offline

My computer consultant stated that explorer is the problem...My wife comp had same issue w/ hijacked email...We switched to mozilla/firefox and problems seemed to be solved.

The word on the street is explorer has alot of bugs.

(in reply to ChezDaJez)

Post #: 16

RE: OT: Email Hacked again - 4/2/2011 2:29:04 PM

Lifer

Posts: 384
Joined: 6/8/2003
From: Caprica
Status: offline

I recently picked up a virus I thought from a news site (that's where I was when everything imploded). Using a firewall and Mcafee so it was probably something downloaded and opened. Unless my wife is surfing the porn sites... My son (pro IT person) downloaded combofix and let that run. Cleaned up everything in a few hours.

Greg

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Man does not enter battle to fight, but for victory. He does everything that he can to avoid the first and obtain the second.
Ardant du Picq

(in reply to bigred)

Post #: 17

RE: OT: Email Hacked again - 4/2/2011 5:12:42 PM

Bullwinkle58

Posts: 11302
Joined: 2/24/2009
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Lifer

I recently picked up a virus I thought from a news site (that's where I was when everything imploded).� Using a firewall and Mcafee so it was probably something downloaded and opened.� Unless my wife is surfing the porn sites... My son (pro IT person) downloaded combofix and let that run.� Cleaned up everything in a few hours.

Greg

I run Malwarebytes every week or so. Reccoed by the local paper's IT columnist and it finds stuff that other anti-bot-ware has missed, especially dozens of ad-tracking cookies and devices. Free version availible. I think I got it at CNET.

_____________________________

The Moose

(in reply to Lifer)

Post #: 18

RE: OT: Email Hacked again - 4/2/2011 6:32:12 PM

TulliusDetritus

Posts: 5521
Joined: 4/1/2004
From: The Zone�
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: LoBaron

Edit: stupid me, Avira wont help you much if you don�t speak Krautish. No idea if there is an English version...

LoBaron, there is an English version

And in fact in many languages.

From 2003 until 2009 I used AVG Free Edition. The programme was very light... Then there was a major upgrade --I can't remember, maybe from 7.x.y to 8-- and I discovered the new version was like an elephant, sucking many resources of the computer

I investigated and found out Avira was the "best" FREE anti-virus. It's the one I use now. Very light (and to me this is the most important thing): memory usage = around 18.000 KB. The last AVG FREE edition I tried = around 80.000 KB

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a nu cheeki breeki iv damke

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Post #: 19

RE: OT: Email Hacked again - 4/2/2011 6:35:25 PM

TulliusDetritus

Posts: 5521
Joined: 4/1/2004
From: The Zone�
Status: offline

But of course the best anti-virus is Linux

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a nu cheeki breeki iv damke

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Post #: 20

RE: OT: Email Hacked again - 4/2/2011 6:44:59 PM

Joe D.

Posts: 4004
Joined: 8/31/2005
From: Stratford, Connecticut
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: ChezDaJez

This is getting old. My email was hacked again ...

Do you have a Facebook account? I understand there is/was a security flaw in Facebook that allowed others access to users email accounts.

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(in reply to ChezDaJez)

Post #: 21

RE: OT: Email Hacked again - 4/2/2011 6:58:28 PM

bradfordkay

Posts: 8683
Joined: 3/24/2002
From: Olympia, WA
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Joe D.

quote:

ORIGINAL: ChezDaJez

This is getting old. My email was hacked again ...

Do you have a Facebook account? I understand there is/was a security flaw in Facebook that allowed others access to users email accounts.

I know that Facebook has a "friend finder" that uses your address book to search for your friends. Since it asks for your e-mail password I have never used it. This could be the source of that problem.

_____________________________

fair winds,
Brad

(in reply to Joe D.)

Post #: 22

RE: OT: Email Hacked again - 4/2/2011 9:20:12 PM

lazydawg

Posts: 141
Joined: 7/28/2009
From: Raleigh NC
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

quote:

ORIGINAL: Lifer

I recently picked up a virus I thought from a news site (that's where I was when everything imploded).� Using a firewall and Mcafee so it was probably something downloaded and opened.� Unless my wife is surfing the porn sites... My son (pro IT person) downloaded combofix and let that run.� Cleaned up everything in a few hours.

Greg

I run Malwarebytes every week or so. Reccoed by the local paper's IT columnist and it finds stuff that other anti-bot-ware has missed, especially dozens of ad-tracking cookies and devices. Free version availible. I think I got it at CNET.

I second this recommendation. Malwarebytes is a must have.

In addition, the link provided below has specialized downloads for removing other nasties:

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/uninstall/

(in reply to Bullwinkle58)

Post #: 23

RE: OT: Email Hacked again - 4/2/2011 9:35:44 PM

Sredni

Posts: 705
Joined: 9/30/2004
From: Canada
Status: offline

Anyone have a list of antivirus software that doesn't run in the background? Currently I go with avg free running and have malwarebytes installed with which I do occasional scans (along with the avg scans I have setup to run regularly), and if I feel the need I download and run the windows malicious software removal tool though no clue how useful it is. The other AV program I tried (avast) wanted to run in the background all the time like AVG does and from what I understand having multiple AV programs running simultaneously is a nono (plus what a resource hog bleh). So I'd like some other AV programs like malwarebytes that I can install and just run occasional scans with without it wanting to be up and running all the time.

(in reply to ChezDaJez)

Post #: 24

RE: OT: Email Hacked again - 4/2/2011 10:32:36 PM

Capt Hornblower

Posts: 242
Joined: 10/29/2010
From: Massachusetts, USA
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: ChezDaJez

Believe I will just as soon as I get AE up and running on the wife's laptop.

Appreciate all the advice guys. I've changed every password I can think of including my bank's and Hotmail.

Let's see if it works. Might as well upgrade to Win 7 at the same time.

Chez

Might help if you stopped being a slave to MICROSOFT.

(in reply to ChezDaJez)

Post #: 25

RE: OT: Email Hacked again - 4/3/2011 5:48:28 AM

ChezDaJez

Posts: 3436
Joined: 11/12/2004
From: Chehalis, WA
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: bradfordkay

quote:

ORIGINAL: Joe D.

quote:

ORIGINAL: ChezDaJez

This is getting old. My email was hacked again ...

Do you have a Facebook account? I understand there is/was a security flaw in Facebook that allowed others access to users email accounts.

I do have a facebook account but very seldom use it unless someone posts on my wall. My kids set it a couple of years ago. I'm just not into online social networking except for this forum.

Chez

I know that Facebook has a "friend finder" that uses your address book to search for your friends. Since it asks for your e-mail password I have never used it. This could be the source of that problem.

_____________________________

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Post #: 26

RE: OT: Email Hacked again - 4/3/2011 9:35:01 PM

pmelheck1

Posts: 610
Joined: 4/3/2003
From: Alabama
Status: offline

One of the first questions I would ask is if all forms of code execution are disabled in your email client. If it isn't that could very well be the root of all your other ills.

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Post #: 27