Spam is being sent from my e-mail

[spookyturtle 9,465]

It sounds like a virus more than spyware. You can try this place, Microsoft help desk recommended it and you can get a limited version for free: http://www.superantispyware.com/index.html

This is a good one to start with, and if that doesn't do the trick, try Malwarebytes Antimalware http://malwarebytes.org/

This one will get rid of most of the nastiest stuff out there.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechn...or-of-worm.html

Just saw this story on the news this morning. Make sure your Microsoft security updates are current.

I use Webroot Internet Security Essentials, and that seems to keep my machine clean, even using Yahoo Messenger.

Edited February 14, 2009 by Mister_Bill

[Jasman0717 9]

My ex's cell sends me spam from time to time, guess there is no way of getting away from it

[Ban Hammer 13,337]

Sorry, there's nothing you can do. The spam emails are not being sent from your account, they are just using your email address as the "from" address, and when they bounce back, they're coming to you.

my thoughts too - the op's email address is being spoofed.

[Mikkel 0]

If they're hitting the people in your address book, someone's probably spamming from your account. If they're just hitting arbitrary e-mail addresses that you've never seen before, it could be that people are sending mail claiming it to be from your domain/e-mail address, and that it's getting bounced back to you. I had a period about a year back when someone was sending spam mail claiming it to be from addresses on my domain. There's not a lot you can do to stop it, but most of these bounced back e-mails contain more or less the same information, making it easy to find a common phrase and filter out all e-mail containing that phrase.

[DeadPoolX 9]

Do you have either a software or a hardware firewall? If you don't, you might want to invest in one. A good free firewall is ZoneAlarm Free and a free spyware blocker is also there. Both programs are on the left-hand side of the page I'm linking you to.

There's also a program called E-Scan which is both a virus scanner and a software firewall. It also scans your registry for potential problems and will remove left other registry entries from programs that have been uninstalled. It's not a free program, but there is a 30-day trial. After that, you'll need to either pay for it or uninstall it.

The only other thing to do would be to get a new e-mail account (Gmail is good) and tell anyone you know that you've changed your e-mail and advise them to disregard any mail from the old one.

DO NOT use more than one program type at a time. In order words, don't try using two anti-virus or two firewalls at once. The programs will conflict and could possibly cause some undesirable results.

Edited February 15, 2009 by DeadPoolX

[NickD 202]

You have to know that you do not have to have your computer turned on and connected to the net to receive e-mails, they are stored in another HD someplace whether it be hotmail, gmail, yahoo, or even your own server.

You also know that you can access your e-mails on just about any computer in the world by just knowing two things, your e-mail address that just about anybody knows, and your password. Somebody got hold of your password and can use your e-mail to forward messages.

So your problem may not even be in your computer, try changing your password, and in your preferences disable forwarding. You have to use a complex upper lower case alpha numeric password to be on the safe side and generally have to use a different password for each function, say getting access to your bank or credit card. And even using a complex users name to get into your accounts using a different users name for each different account.

The internet is one big fat party line, not limited to eight people sharing the same phone line, but millions and millions.

Have yet to find one program that detects all spyware, so use five different ones, even that isn't 100%.

If you go into windows explorer, click on tools, folder options, then folder types, you may find an application that shouldn't be there. Find it and delete it. Knowing your computer can be a nightmare, getting way too complex.

[reeses16 8]

Okay, so here's the update.

I checked my firefox security settings, it matched the screen shots that MisterFancyPants sent (thanks!)

My firewall is on. I went to "control panel", "security center"

My windows update is current. Last update was 2/11/09.

I've run the McAfee virus scan, nothing.

Next I installed and ran Ad-AwareAE. It detected cookies (qty 17, TAI 3), spywarestop (qty 7, TAI 3), and suspicious object (qty 9, TAI 1). What does TAI mean? Everything comes back clear now.

I also installed the SuperAntiSpyware. The only thing it detects is the spywarebot( but it is labeled "not a threat").

I also changed the my e-mail passwords. This was happening from both my yahoo and gmail accounts. And on the same day. Yesterday was like the 3 or 4th time this has happened in as many months. This is so frustrating! It does appear that someone must have access to my e-mail somehow. It is e-mailing people in my address book.

DeadPoolX, should I try E-scan this afternoon? You mentioned having only one firewall or antivirus at a time. I wasn't sure if you meant actively scanning at the same time or installed at the same time.

Big thanks to everyone who has replied!

[reeses16 8]

*** Spywarebot is a anti-spyware program I had previously. The subscription ran out, and I thought I would give Ad-aware a try first.

[DeadPoolX 9]

DeadPoolX, should I try E-scan this afternoon? You mentioned having only one firewall or antivirus at a time. I wasn't sure if you meant actively scanning at the same time or installed at the same time.

The general rule is to avoid having two software firewalls (or anti-virus programs) running at the same time. I've found that the Windows Firewall to be somewhat useless. It can stop certain intrusions, but there are far more ways around it than third-party firewalls.

It's a lot like using Internet Explorer -- it can browse and is useful for some sites, but it's safer and often more effective to use Firefox or Opera. With more and more people using those two -- especially Firefox -- the overall safety factor of those browsers will decrease.

Anyway... E-Scan has both a firewall and a virus-scanner. If you download the trial version, I'd recommend disabling both McAfee and and the windows firewall during that time. Once the trial runs out (you get 30 days), you can always re-activate the other two programs. If you think E-Scan works well, you may want to purchase it. That's obviously up to you, though.

Personally, I didn't like E-Scan. However, the reason I'm recommending it is because my wife loves it. She's hardly a newcomer to computers, so she's not letting the program merely run on auto-pilot (which you can, more or less, choose to do).

If you're looking for free programs, I'd once again suggest ZoneAlarm and AVG Anti-Virus. While there are free versions of both, there are also purchasable copies, all of which probably do a better job. However, the free versions have worked very well for me in the past.

Currently, I'm using AVG and a hardware firewall. If you can get a hardware firewall (typically through a router), that's the best way to go. They're usually more complex and somewhat less user-friendly than software firewalls, but they don't use any system processes and are generally more protective. If you're new to using computers or have relatively little experience with routers, I'd say the software firewall is best for now, since routers can be quite a handful.

[spookyturtle 9,465]

*** Spywarebot is a anti-spyware program I had previously. The subscription ran out, and I thought I would give Ad-aware a try first.

AdAware is ####### now. Try Malwarebytes Antimalware. If you have anything serious, it will detect it. It does not report cookies etc, just the real bad stuff. If the MB scan comes up clean, then your system is clean. It's simple and its free. Here is a link for lots of info on anti virus and spyware removal. http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=190538 In fact, that is a great forum for all types of computer info and problem solving.