Not sure if i should post here but my dad got an email from my email (apparently) saying something about a online sotre called Zol-trade.com,check it online it an obvious scam email but it was sent from my email as my dad replyied to it and i got it in my inbox,but this email was sent to a lot of my contacts,im really annoyed by this.Did they get into my email and send it?I can still log into my hotmail i changed the password just in case.
Has my email been compromised?
- Thread starter haroon
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Sounds like you have an email virus / malware. I suggest you do a scan on your machine and make sure you update your antivirus first.
What email client do you use?
What email client do you use?
Windows 7 is fantastic but you can still get viruses/crapware. The scam might not even have occurred on your computer - maybe a compromised machine elsewhere you checked your hotmail.
If possible, I would change your password on a totally different machine. If you use the same passwords elsewhere I would change those too!
If possible, I would change your password on a totally different machine. If you use the same passwords elsewhere I would change those too!
I haven't logg into it from anotehr computer for a good month,if my pc comes up with a virus or anything i will clear it and change my password again as u suggested.
I have actually never had a virus or spywar related problem since using windows all my life actually,and i never use anti-virus,first for everything i suppose.
I have actually never had a virus or spywar related problem since using windows all my life actually,and i never use anti-virus,first for everything i suppose.
Have a scan with Malwarebyte's Antimalware. There is likely plenty of crap that could harvest passwords without being picked up as a virus.
There is also the possibility an email with a bunch of people in the To or CC fields got into the hands of a spammer. They spoofed the from address as you, and sent the email to everyone CCd in the original email - meaning it may look as if they got your address book and sent it from your account.
There is also the possibility an email with a bunch of people in the To or CC fields got into the hands of a spammer. They spoofed the from address as you, and sent the email to everyone CCd in the original email - meaning it may look as if they got your address book and sent it from your account.
Do you use the password for that account (along with the full e-mail address for that account) on another site 'cause if that is the case then that site might've been compromised to send ID's and passwords to a third party who then use them to send out spam (but I just hope you didn't fall for a phishing scam e-mail telling you to send your e-mail address and password or your account would be closed).
The OP has very likely not got any spyware or malware. Nor is it a spoofed message as it wouldn't have been sent to just his contacts list.
This is happening to more and more users of GMail and Hotmail and I'm sure other web based e-mail systems.
I can't say what has happened apart from suggesting someone or something has gained access to the e-mail account and sent a spam message. I can't say how they/it gained access. The easy suggestion is malware on the PC, or putting your password in to somewhere that has been compromised. While I can't be sure the later isn't the cause, I can categorically rule out a compromised PC.
Until this happens to you, you will be sure the OP has been compromised as that can surely be the only way this happened right? Well, it happened to my GMail account, twice. Now, my PC is scanned VERY regularly for both malware and viruses. I have never accessed the account anywhere other than my main PC. The password is used elsewhere, however the password is not only complex (upper, lower and numerical) but it was changed between intrusions. The password was completely different as well.
So yeah, I don't know what the hell is going on, but I don't believe the user is necessarily at fault.
This is happening to more and more users of GMail and Hotmail and I'm sure other web based e-mail systems.
I can't say what has happened apart from suggesting someone or something has gained access to the e-mail account and sent a spam message. I can't say how they/it gained access. The easy suggestion is malware on the PC, or putting your password in to somewhere that has been compromised. While I can't be sure the later isn't the cause, I can categorically rule out a compromised PC.
Until this happens to you, you will be sure the OP has been compromised as that can surely be the only way this happened right? Well, it happened to my GMail account, twice. Now, my PC is scanned VERY regularly for both malware and viruses. I have never accessed the account anywhere other than my main PC. The password is used elsewhere, however the password is not only complex (upper, lower and numerical) but it was changed between intrusions. The password was completely different as well.
So yeah, I don't know what the hell is going on, but I don't believe the user is necessarily at fault.
I regularly get emails with lots of other people from my contacts that have been CCd in. It just takes one person to send it elsewhere and hey presto a spammer has xx number of emails to spam. It could well appear your account was in some way compromised if all the spam emails went to people in your contacts.
It is a possibility is all I am saying
Either way it rules out his PC being compromised!
So is this a good sign or a bad sign,i changed my password so hope it stops any more funny buisness,and how do u spoof an email to look like it's you?Surely if people can do that and spoof as banks/credit companys or whatever then they'd trick a lot of people...or is that just how spam's start idk
It is a possibility is all I am saying
Either way it rules out his PC being compromised!
I agree completely, and it's definitely a possibility in a lot of cases, however the OPs problem is so similar to the one I suffered with my GMail account. In my case, the account is never used to send e-mails, only to receive. I most certainly never e-mail to all of the addresses that had automatically added themselves to the contacts list.
I wish I knew exactly what had happened, I really do, but I just can't see where something I had done had allowed external access to my account on 3 seperate occasions from other countries, even after a password change from a complex password to another complex password.