Kitz Forum
Internet => Web Browsing & Email => Topic started by: chrissie on February 01, 2012, 10:28:49 AM
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Hi
An internet friend of mine is having trouble with one of her hotmail accounts in that it has been hacked (?) as far as I can see. We are getting emails from it but not generated by her and as she runs a small forum it means that things are being sent to all the members from there.
What I would like to know and can remember from some years ago, I was told that if you add a spoof address to your address book/contacts similar to something like.... aaa@webber (or whatever) when someone sends a mail to the whole of the address book/contacts, the mail will bounce or not be sent because the spoof one will not be found. Does anyone know if this still stands as a precaution of stopping mails being sent remotely et al or was it just another urban myth?
Thanks for your help.
Chrissie
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AFAIK this is another urban myth, only the one sent to the bad address will bounce as far as I am aware.
Stuart
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Tell your friend to report the issue to Hotmail. They need to use a decent password and get a properly functioning antivirus system on their machine.
Bounce addresses are only of use on the outgoing server for returning undeliverable mail.
Your friend is also at risk of having their forum blacklisted with Hotmail /MSN/Live if they do not take swift action.
What email client are you using, does it not have antivrus/spam and phishing applications built in? Windows Live Mail has anti spam and anti phishing on board and wil blacklist those that you don't want mail from.
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An internet friend of mine is having trouble with one of her hotmail accounts in that it has been hacked (?) as far as I can see. We are getting emails from it but not generated by her and as she runs a small forum it means that things are being sent to all the members from there.
Spammers often use mailing lists and forums to harvest email addresses. That may be where they obtained the email address of your internet friend. The spammers spoof outgoing mails using one of those harvested emails, so as to lay a false trail. This makes it look like your friend sent the mails, or that her mailbox has been hacked. However, anyone can spoof the From: header in an email. It's one of the flaws of the SMTP (outgoing mail) protocol. Not much you can do about, really.
cheers, a
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Hi guys thanks for your input. I don't know what she is using only know Sky is her ISP which I don't think counts for a lot. I know Hotmail is notorious for being hacked though. She has now given up on that and is using another email address and going to let her son sort it out for her with her not being so au fait with all the security things. Thought it might help to tell her to put the aaa thingy bounce address in her mail addy but if it's not going to work then no use. Thanks again...just hope she will be sorted now with the new email address.
Chrissie