Mass email

2 Responses

1. susan w Says:
   August 10th, 2010 at 1:02 am

   Here are some suggestions, but it is rather long. In answer to your major questionm, yes it can and does happen, unless some good security is in place.

   First, go into your “Account Info” to the right of “Hi……..” on the Inbox, etc page. Check to see that you have no other email addresses listed but yours (as primary) and another YOU chose (as secondary) - this is important.

   If your account is clean, I would take a look (without opening anything) at my incoming and “Sent” emails to see if anything isn’t what you sent. Write down the ID information on those emails and I would do a “Print” from my browser to have a hard copy. If you wish to see more information on an email that has been “Sent”, go to the bottom right and select “full headers” in faint blue type and you will see additional information on all of the senders, however, I wouldn’t open a dangerous email even to see that, I would forward it to Yahoo Security.

   Good Luck

   Have any of your contacts been emailed (purportedly from you) but from another ?

   I would go out and purchase a good malware/spyware detection and clean-up and removal program. What I would NOT do is to download one, since there are a couple of very bad sites out there that can actually infect your computer.

   After you have used the Malware/Spyware successfully, I would do a clean-up to eliminate any memories that might be lurking around.

   “Delete Cookies”, “Empty Cache”, and in History - “Clear”
   Shut down computer. Wait 30 seconds. Start (not Restart - it is different)

   Sign in anew

   Good luck, and be careful.

   Shut down your email whenever you are not using it (sign out) and if you use a wireless router, don’t. Don’t allow cookies except from “sites you have visited”, do not allow pop-ups, empty your History every 3 days. Never select the “Remember Me” or the “Auto-Complete” functions anywhere, including the Yahoo sign-in.

   One easy way that the addresses can be obtained is if you do not use BCC for sending emails, so that anyone you’ve emailed (and an intruder to their system) can use the “Reply All” function and gain access to everyone else. I always use the BCC for privacy.

2. andsoitgoes1 Says:
   August 11th, 2010 at 7:47 pm

   E-adds can be “spoofed” by spammers - think that’s what happened to you.

   Susan’s last couple of paragraphs bear repeating:

   Shut down your email whenever you are not using it (sign out) and if you use a wireless router, don’t. Don’t allow cookies except from “sites you have visited”, do not allow pop-ups, empty your History every 3 days. Never select the “Remember Me” or the “Auto-Complete” functions anywhere, including the Yahoo sign-in.

   One easy way that the addresses can be obtained is if you do not use BCC for sending emails, so that anyone you’ve emailed (and an intruder to their system) can use the “Reply All” function and gain access to everyone else. I always use the BCC for privacy.
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   I use Firefox and told it to delete personal data when I log out. IE8 has a similar function. If you’re using a wireless router and haven’t changed the passcode from the out-of-the-box one, do it NOW.

   If your DSL is plugged into the phone jack, download a “smart” Firewall. Once done, run Shields Up! by Gibson Research (Y! search ‘em). SU! will “ping” your PC. With a smart Firewall, they should not bounce back. You’ll get a report on how they/you did - you are looking for stealth. My Fw has a “Block All Internet Access” - I block all at night because the box is on 24/7 (panel goes to sleep after 10 mins of idle time).

   You should have a self updating Virus detector/remover & at least 3 antispyware programs.

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