Hotmail virus
Had a Hotmail virus that ripped through my contact list today and (embarrasingly) emailed spam URLs to all my contacts.
I immediately changed my Hotmail password (but not sure this can do much since the horse has bolted?).
I was not using my laptop at the time. I had a strong Hotmail password, a fully up-to-date copy of Windows 7, and an up-to-date copy of Windows Security Essentials.
Anyone know what this virus is called and how it attacks the system? I met someone last year who had an AOL email account and suffered a similar attack.
This happened to me on Yahoo a few weeks ago. Checking the log-in history I found my last log-in then several from Nigeria. All contacts were emailed a story about how I was abroad and had been mugged and needed money. All contacts and saved emails were deleted.
Do you have a gmail account from an Android phone? I've never had a problem till I set up a gmail account last year for my first Android phone. Been hacked twice since then. This last time I lost access to the gmail account, the password had been changed. I think they then got my Yahoo account as it was linked to the gmail one.
You should also check the email address used to contact you in the event you can't access your account. I changed everything else but only after contacting Yahoo did I realise they were there too. Whoever hacked mine had added an address, so when I changed my password it would be sent to this other account. They were clever too as they set up a new address with only one letter different to my actual email. I missed it completely when I first looked.
Ended up re-setting phone and opening completely new gmail account.
Ended up re-setting phone and opening completely new gmail account.
Would have thought that's the safest way forward.
With regards to gmail, and make of this what you will, of all the pages of spammers that try and join up on our forum every day, most of them are using gmail accounts. I personally would stay well away.
With regards to gmail, and make of this what you will, of all the pages of spammers that try and join up on our forum every day, most of them are using gmail accounts. I personally would stay well away.
If spammers chose to open accounts with gmail, how is that gmail's fault? I don't think gmail is any more likely to be hacked than any other email account.
I did say, "make of this what you will" 
This happened to my wife 2 weeks ago , spammed her whole contact list, lots of links to uncrupulous web sites.
One was to her boss , with lots of sexual inuendos , ( thought that was hillarious )
On a serious note though, makes you realise how unsafe the web can be .
Thinking about it, I probably logged on to Hotmail from an unsafe PC that had a keylogger virus - thus handing my password to the spammers.
Very annoying that Hotmail doesn't let you view login dates/times and login IP addresses - I'd happily go and hunt down the perpetrators!
In my experience, all the spam from friends come from hotmail accounts. Been pleased with Gmail
Make sure you change the security questions as well, along with the password.
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