Sooo...I don't usually come into Tech Talk, but I needed an opinion that wasn't Chit Chat because they would probably try to give my comp more viruses. The topic that was best was over 90 days old...

My email keeps sending emails to people without my knowledge. It did this a few weeks ago, and I just deleted my contacts and it fixed it, or the symptom anyway. Now I have no contacts, but it came back and keeps sending emails to who knows how many people and I can't figure out how to fix it. I've installed SpyBot, and I guess I'll try AVG too. Any other suggestions? This is the only symptom of a virus that I can figure...

12/25/2010 11:42:42 PM

change your password

12/25/2010 11:48:02 PM

Yeah, I did that too, lol. Any other suggestions?

12/26/2010 12:17:37 AM

MalwareBytes

and if that doesn't work, your spambot must be using a rootkit or something to hide itself, and then I'd recommend ComboFix

Also AVG sux, use Microsoft Security Essentials if you didn't pirate that Windows installation (and avast! if you did)

12/26/2010 2:32:02 AM

Who is your email provider, ie GMail, AOL, something at your workplace, etc

12/26/2010 2:56:05 AM

Hotmail...but I'm thinking I should just switch to G-Mail, lol.

12/26/2010 3:51:01 PM

IMO you have a keylogger or formgrabber that figured out your Hotmail authentication (and your new one even after you changed the password), a spambot that pumps out SMTP traffic using your Hotmail credentials, and possibly a rootkit to hide it from less sophisticated security software.

After taking whatever measures are necessary to get rid of the keylogger and spambot (and rootkit if there is one...you probably need to take that out first), change your password again; another idea for the meantime is to go to someone else's computer to change your Hotmail password and then not to use Hotmail until your infection is cleaned, and don't make or use any other e-mail accounts on that computer until clean either, or else spam will start spewing forth from those domains too.

BTW the only reason you should use Spybot anymore is for its Immunization feature; its scanning engine is too slow and its definitions lag behind most other detectors of malicious software. It was excellent about 5 years ago but now is only good for adding a touch of security to your browsers.
Maybe Spybot 2.0 will change this assessment, but we've been waiting for it for almost 2 years and there is no sign of an impending release.

12/26/2010 8:49:29 PM

Here's what you do at this point.

Unplug your ethernet cord/disconnect from wireless.

Backup your data. Run a full virus scan on the backup from another machine. While on there, change your hotmail auth info.

Format the HD on your computer and reinstall Windows.

Copy back virus free data.

Quit being a fucking idiot.

12/26/2010 9:02:52 PM

^recommended only if you actually have another machine and won't need to spend a shit-ton of time re-installing programs

12/26/2010 9:54:20 PM

There comes a point where you would spend less time formatting and reinstalling than chasing some virus/malware around your system. Some of them, especially the variety that includes a root kit, can be a real bitch to get rid of. Quicker and easier this way.

12/28/2010 2:19:47 PM

I agree with DeltaBeta.

12/28/2010 2:36:09 PM

I realize that this is not a question about a virus, instead it's something from an anti-virus vendor, but could anyone get the three whitepapers linked here to download, and then re-upload them somewhere else: http://www.sophos.com/security/topic/web-security-myths.html

especially this: http://www.sophos.com/security/whitepapers/sophos-myths-for-safe-web-browsing-wpna

but also these: http://www.sophos.com/security/whitepapers/sophos-tips-to-reduce-web-threats-wpna
http://www.sophos.com/security/whitepapers/sophos-web-security-buyers-guide-wpna

12/28/2010 2:43:11 PM