Email account possibly compromised?
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Email account possibly compromised?
(I apologize if this has already been covered. I searched this forum and found a similar but not identical issue.)
I am worried that my Hotmail account has been compromised. This morning I received four emails that appeared to be from a friend. I know better than to open links/attachments in emails from strangers, but I clicked on one link because I thought it was sent by someone I know well. I clicked on the link but could not open it. Then within ½ an hour, it was brought to my attention that emails with the same subject lines as the ones I thought were from my friend, were being sent to many --everyone?--on my contact list but now under my name.
I’m worried because the messages that appear to be from me are not being sent randomly (as was the case in another thread I found on this forum). They are being sent to my entire contact list. Furthermore, after receiving the emails with my name on them, the same emails are then sent on, appearing to be from my contacts who received them from me.
After doing multiple scans, I contacted Norton Antivirus and was told that it is unlikely this problem was caused by a virus or some other nasty thing. The rep suggested that merely changing my email password would solve the problem. I’m not sure I trust that advice. If changing my password will solve the problem (I did change it after speaking to the guy), that seems to suggest that someone figured out my password, which I find unlikely, since it would have been a hard one to figure out and I didn’t use it for any other purpose other than my email account. Incidentally, I always remove senders’ names before forwarding emails.
So, my questions are: Is it likely that the Norton rep was correct and that just changing my password will solve the problem? or …Is there something else I should be doing? Having gotten excellent and much appreciated advice in the past from those who frequent this forum, I trust you guys more than I trust Norton.
Thanks in advance,
LA
I am worried that my Hotmail account has been compromised. This morning I received four emails that appeared to be from a friend. I know better than to open links/attachments in emails from strangers, but I clicked on one link because I thought it was sent by someone I know well. I clicked on the link but could not open it. Then within ½ an hour, it was brought to my attention that emails with the same subject lines as the ones I thought were from my friend, were being sent to many --everyone?--on my contact list but now under my name.
I’m worried because the messages that appear to be from me are not being sent randomly (as was the case in another thread I found on this forum). They are being sent to my entire contact list. Furthermore, after receiving the emails with my name on them, the same emails are then sent on, appearing to be from my contacts who received them from me.
After doing multiple scans, I contacted Norton Antivirus and was told that it is unlikely this problem was caused by a virus or some other nasty thing. The rep suggested that merely changing my email password would solve the problem. I’m not sure I trust that advice. If changing my password will solve the problem (I did change it after speaking to the guy), that seems to suggest that someone figured out my password, which I find unlikely, since it would have been a hard one to figure out and I didn’t use it for any other purpose other than my email account. Incidentally, I always remove senders’ names before forwarding emails.
So, my questions are: Is it likely that the Norton rep was correct and that just changing my password will solve the problem? or …Is there something else I should be doing? Having gotten excellent and much appreciated advice in the past from those who frequent this forum, I trust you guys more than I trust Norton.
Thanks in advance,
LA
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The Norton chap is probably correct. And he will have more experience than any of us posting here
Your e-mail password is held unencrypted in the web browser cache, and extracting it is dead easy. When you clicked on the link it was mailed to whoever is behind the scam
Change your password, and also change your password reset questions
if you want an example of how easy mail passwords are to extract, download and run Mailpassview from Mail PassView: Password recovery for Outlook, Outlook Express, Thunderbird, Windows Mail, and more...
Thats a legit program - but the underlying technique is the same
Your e-mail password is held unencrypted in the web browser cache, and extracting it is dead easy. When you clicked on the link it was mailed to whoever is behind the scam
Change your password, and also change your password reset questions
if you want an example of how easy mail passwords are to extract, download and run Mailpassview from Mail PassView: Password recovery for Outlook, Outlook Express, Thunderbird, Windows Mail, and more...
Thats a legit program - but the underlying technique is the same
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Do you have a Facebook account? These scams usually come from there. Facebook completely disregards all privacy issues, and has acknowledged that repeatedly. If Facebook has your email address, you can expect this to happen repeatedly, even if you change your Facebook and email passwords.
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GP,
Although the only time I go on Facebook is when a friend alerts me to to a batch of special occasion pictures or something similar, I do have a Facebook account.
Wouldn't break my heart to leave Facebook forever. It has always made me uncomfortable, so thanks for the reminder.
Although the only time I go on Facebook is when a friend alerts me to to a batch of special occasion pictures or something similar, I do have a Facebook account.
Wouldn't break my heart to leave Facebook forever. It has always made me uncomfortable, so thanks for the reminder.
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Gomer, he said it was from his email so it wouldn't be a facebook issue.
Latearrival.
Changing the hotmail password should cure the problem if it is what I think it is (almost got hit by that one, emails came from the PYT so I could ask her what she sent to me in 3 emails but otherwise I would have clicked too). Making sure your PC is "clean" would be a sensible step to take too. Don't just trust Norton, run malwarebytes antimalware too and see what it shows up, as well as using the other trusted tools that are mentioned here regularly.
Latearrival.
Changing the hotmail password should cure the problem if it is what I think it is (almost got hit by that one, emails came from the PYT so I could ask her what she sent to me in 3 emails but otherwise I would have clicked too). Making sure your PC is "clean" would be a sensible step to take too. Don't just trust Norton, run malwarebytes antimalware too and see what it shows up, as well as using the other trusted tools that are mentioned here regularly.
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Hellsbrink, thanks for the reminder about Malwarebytes. Immediately after a clear Norton scan, MWB picked up 13 items that weren't previously identified.
LA
LA
This happened to me a few months ago - I can't remember the generic name for what happens, but changing your password will cure things.
Hotmail password change can be a pain, especially as I very rarely send messages vis hotmail - it's all mainly receipt. I was asked for an email subject I had recently sent and couldn't remember any!!
I now have a password change password (really....)
Hotmail password change can be a pain, especially as I very rarely send messages vis hotmail - it's all mainly receipt. I was asked for an email subject I had recently sent and couldn't remember any!!
I now have a password change password (really....)
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My Father got one, apparently from a trusted person, telling he's in trouble somewhere and needs money + phone. As he doesn't read English (this one was in German, but that's not our mother tongue), he hasn't been seasoned with the Nigerian scams and replied. The person (a professor with many contacts evidently) got the mail ok and replied his e-mail had been corrupted.
Evidently we have to 'detox' father's PC, too.
Evidently we have to 'detox' father's PC, too.
