| Author | Thread |
|
|
02/12/2008 09:22:25 PM · #1 |
In the last two days I've gotten Delivery Status Notifications (about a dozen) saying my emails have bounced to addresses I do not recognize. (they look like addresses in the junk folder) I immediately suspected a virus which was trying to send itself out to various accounts it finds. However, Windows Defender and Spybot - Search and Destroy cannot find anything amiss.
I do not run an antivirus program on this computer as we rarely venture far on the internet and never (I mean NEVER) open emails we do not recognize.
Would Spybot and Windows Defender not be up to the task in this case and am I correct in assuming a virus? |
|
|
|
02/12/2008 09:26:48 PM · #2 |
Spammers have got hold of your email address and used it to spam others and those people are blocking your emails...hence the notifications you are receiving. That has happened to me a couple of times...to the point the my internet provider black listed me. I rang them up and had to try and convince them that I wasn't sending out the spam to 1000's of addresses...sheez...how much time do they think I have.
Anyways...I don't think they fully believed me...but they let me have my internet again...!
|
|
|
|
02/12/2008 09:29:08 PM · #3 |
I run AVG by grisoft as my antivirus. It's free so, go download it just to be sure. //free.grisoft.com
Spybot should find any adware, trojans and hijackers. I also use Spybot and Ad-aware for the spyware sweepers.
Message edited by author 2008-02-12 21:31:18. |
|
|
|
02/12/2008 09:29:48 PM · #4 |
| So Judi, how did you take care of the problem? |
|
|
|
02/12/2008 09:34:11 PM · #5 |
There's no way around it. If your email is out there anywhere you can count on a spammer or virus getting a hold of it and pretending to be you. It's a fact of internet life until effective anti-spoofing is widely adopted. Currently there is SPF, but it's not easy for a novice to set up and it's not gotten a lot of big name adopters.
You just have to cope. :S |
|
|
|
02/12/2008 09:36:47 PM · #6 |
Originally posted by DrAchoo:
So Judi, how did you take care of the problem? |
Changed my email address. That is the only option you have.
|
|
|
|
02/12/2008 09:50:11 PM · #7 |
| Well, I am VERY careful about my email address, but it could be spoofing. Turns out that Comcast will let you have McAfee for free (hey, something decent from the cable company...go figure). I'm running it right now and we'll see if they are attacking from the inside. |
|
|
|
02/12/2008 10:13:41 PM · #8 |
| I'm having the same thing. I'm not sure my email has really been hijacked or if the "message failure" notices I've been receiving are themselves a new spammer tactic. I've been using this email address as my primary for years and I'd hate to have to change now. |
|
|
|
02/12/2008 11:10:28 PM · #9 |
Go to computercops.biz and download something called "hijackthis" There are some viruses that get in your computer that you cant get rid of with standard scans.
if you need help, PM me, I will walk you through it.
|
|
|
|
02/12/2008 11:29:52 PM · #10 |
Doc, do you run an outgoing firewall? If you do
check its logs if it's set to generate them. With
only a dozen of these I don't think you're in trouble
yet. Be sure to turn your system off overnight, or any
time you're not online. This includes your wireless
router, if you use one. Make sure the router is setup
with encryption and only allows Mac addresses of your
wireless devices. Sometimes a packet sniffer will reveal
unusual internet traffic. I recently downloaded one that
works pretty good and is GPL license. It's called Wire Shark. But unless
you're a network geek it might not be worth much. But...
you might be able to capture for an hour or so during a
period when you're not using the machine and have a geek
friend analyze the results for you. It was about the easiest
installing packet sniffer I've ever used.
Good luck. |
|
Home -
Challenges -
Community -
League -
Photos -
Cameras -
Lenses -
Learn -
Help -
Terms of Use -
Privacy -
Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2025 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 11/22/2025 01:52:08 AM EST.
