300 + emails this morning

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Meez

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#99022 11-Mar-2012 11:28

I opened my email this morning to 300 + returned emails from my ISP supposedly from Mrs Esther Donald to heaps of addresses I've never heard of. (Never heard of her either). I'm using Windows Mail. So far I have sent a note to my ISP,, run AVG, Trend Micro House Call and Spybot. Spybot found one cookie. No other email is getting through other than the returned emails. The emails have attachments which I've ignored. What else can I do? Is it a virus/trojan that's not being picked up?

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#593473 11-Mar-2012 11:42

Meez: I opened my email this morning to 300 + returned emails from my ISP supposedly from Mrs Esther Donald to heaps of addresses I've never heard of. (Never heard of her either). I'm using Windows Mail. So far I have sent a note to my ISP,, run AVG, Trend Micro House Call and Spybot. Spybot found one cookie. No other email is getting through other than the returned emails. The emails have attachments which I've ignored. What else can I do? Is it a virus/trojan that's not being picked up?

Have you changed your password? Sounds like someone's acquired your password and sent some spam on your behalf.

Meez

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Master Geek

#593474 11-Mar-2012 11:44

It has to wait until tomorrow. My ISP doesn't work on weekends. Thanks.

freitasm

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#593480 11-Mar-2012 11:56

I wouldn't worry. Email addresses can be easily spoofed, anyone can use anything in the "From" or "Reply To" fields. It doesn't mean your PC is infected or someone "hacked" into your email account.

Sometimes a malware infection in someone else's PC will use THEIR email contact list to find a valid email address to use in the "From" field, because it's more likely someone would open an email from a known person than from some unknown source.

Delete, and forget.

Meez

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Master Geek

#593544 11-Mar-2012 14:51

I downloaded Emsisoft and it found two medium risk adware which are quarantined.

freitasm

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#593564 11-Mar-2012 15:01

"Medium risk adware"? Real adware, or just cookies (just text files, which some antispyware use to scare people )?

johnr

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#593565 11-Mar-2012 15:02

You could also scan your PC with malwarebytes but not sure what your ISP can do,

http://www.malwarebytes.org/

John

Meez

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Master Geek

#593568 11-Mar-2012 15:03

Adware.Win32.Yontoo

Sharesies

Trade NZ and US shares and funds with Sharesies (affiliate link).

Meez

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Master Geek

#593569 11-Mar-2012 15:04

I have malware bytes already. It didn't pick up anything.

johnr

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#593570 11-Mar-2012 15:05

Make your email password more secure then

Meez

111 posts

Master Geek

#593572 11-Mar-2012 15:06

Not a problem. :) I thought of my ISP originally because besides me, they are the only ones who know my passwords.

Meez

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Master Geek

#593574 11-Mar-2012 15:08

password.

Ragnor

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#593577 11-Mar-2012 15:12

Most likely it's spammers spoofing your email address as the From/Reply To address for spam they are sending out.

Happens all the time and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it.

freitasm

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#593584 11-Mar-2012 15:34

I already explained it is just someone spoofing the address. Nothing to do with your account, password, etc. and most likely nothing to do with malware.

gzt

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#593585 11-Mar-2012 15:37

My gmail spam filter fills with this kind of stuff on a regular basis. It is common even to get things supposedly sent from addresses in my domain, to addresses in my domain. It is just typical address spoofing to increase the chances of someone opening the mail and buying the viagra or whatever.

There is a lot of other stuff as well which appears to have no real purpose, but I have no doubt it serves the spammers to explore aspects of mail delivery.

It would be unusual for spammers to take over an individual account these days.

Spammers tend to create their own mail distribution systems and sometimes use compromised servers to assist. There is no compelling reason to think your sending account has been accessed at all.

Wikipedia has some nice explanation on this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spam_email_delivery#Third-party_computers

hope that makes you feel better! : )

Meez

111 posts

Master Geek

#593608 11-Mar-2012 16:32

Thanks everyone. It's been a very long day and I was supposed to be using it catching up with my UCOL assignments.
I'll see how it goes tomorrow.

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