Jump to content

Email Hacking Questions...


Recommended Posts

Recently (this morning) I discovered I was not receiving emails.  I was able to send just fine and have been for the past couple months.  I normally use Outlook and very rarely ever use Webmail for service.  I called the ISP and was told it was an Outlook problem.  I was connected with Microsoft and they told me it was an ISP problem.  Called back to ISP and went through all the checks and discovered that one check box (in webmail settings) was checked for send email to account ******@gmail.com.  I don't have a Gmail account with this particular address and knew something was amiss at this point.  Unchecking the box I was able to send and receive all my emails on webmail and Outlook.  I changed my passwords on all applicable accounts to different passwords.  Checked all accounts for anything that might be remotely suspicious and found nothing.   I have had virus and internet security my computer (Norton) from day one of this new computer's activation (months ago).

 

The questions are;

 

1.  Is this even a hacking ?

2.  Is changing passwords and checking the accounts enough ?

3.  What else needs to be looked at ?

 

Note:  The ISP stated that this type of incident is somewhat common but hesitated when asked if this was a hacking.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That word has been bastardized beyond recognition to mean any time anyone adjusts or alters anything from its original state.  "My god, he "hacked" his refrigerator so the light inside is blue!!!".

 

So short answer, was there someone sitting outside your house with a WIFI sniffer cracking your network or splicing into your cable coax connection?  Highly unlikely as let's face it, you and I as Joe Schmoes just aren't that damn important.

 

Most likely, your password wasn't all that great, your ISP's security wasn't either, and some script kiddie or Eastern Bloc cartel with a botnet just ran a dictionary attack and got in.  In this instance, instead of just sending out viagra ads to everyone in your address book (like what happened to me on a forgotten Yahoo! email account with a shitty password), they redirected your outgoing mail hoping to catch a password or other private account information.  Kinda slick in a sleazy, violating sort of way.

 

My opinion?  If it happened the way I described *that* would technically be called a hack, but your ISP would be partly to blame so they of course won't say anything.  It could possibly be from an un-patched Windows\Office exploit but you seem to be on the ball in that regard and that MO isn't ringing a bell.

 

The lesson here is to check your password complexity and make sure it's a good one.  You can check that here:  Microsoft Password Strength Analyzer

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh, and also, don't use the same password for every site, because if they get one of them, there's a good chance they can get access to the rest of your accounts as well.  I started a thread on computer security a while back in the Geek forum.  I'll see if I can find it.... 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Usually it is a combination of numbers, letters, and other figures.  Most likely between 8 to 12 characters long and in some cases longer.  In the case of my email it was over the usual limit of characters.  I use the word hack only because it was not me who changed the account.

 

Problem seems to be resolved at this point.

 

ELF:  I have the email address of the redirection if you desire to have a little fun...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Usually it is a combination of numbers, letters, and other figures.  Most likely between 8 to 12 characters long and in some cases longer.  In the case of my email it was over the usual limit of characters.  I use the word hack only because it was not me who changed the account.

 

Problem seems to be resolved at this point.

 

ELF:  I have the email address of the redirection if you desire to have a little fun...

 

Probably a pretty good password then.  Starting to sound like the ISP got exploited (that would be a hack).

 

And sure, send it to me in a PM... 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

offtopic: @ flocko, same thing happened to my moms old yahoo email account about 2 months after she died. everyone in her address book, aunts, uncles, cousins, sisters, EVERYONE, started getting FUCKED UP emails from her, some were viagara and get a bigger penis ones, but some where those odd stories about ghosts and old wierd memories... people freaked the fuck out... got a buncha calls from relatives... it fucking sucked...me, my sister, my uncle and a cousin got one titled "I Miss You..."

 

it was so many kinds of fucked up piled into one...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...