What's Going On WIth My Email System?????????

PlanoMike

[PlanoMike]

Last weekend, I left in my computer system in a disassembled state and went out of town for the week. Upon returning and putting my computor system back together, I found three(3) Emails that had been returned to me as undeliverable.

Ok, until I looked at the content of the returned messages. First, they were sent to people I don't know, and more importantly, the dates they were sent (from my address) were during the period I was out of town, and my system was down.

The unknown names issue sounds like a virus, but how could this have happened when my system was down????

[PlanoMike]

Any help/ideas out there??????????

[ThinkingMan]

it is likely the mydoom worm- it disguises like an error meassage, subject line of "hi", and today I got a couple of versions that refer to travel reservations. the dobule file extension is a pretty good give-away- ie text.jpg.zip
or *.dat.zip

basically- DELETE THEM

[Condor51]

Do you subscribe to MSN?

I had the same problem about 5-6 months ago. Somehow my msn messenger profile was checked-off to allow others to use my email (I DIDN'T DO IT) so I think MSN was hacked. MSN naturally denied it but the properties of the emails were consistent that they all originated from hotmail accounts.

There was also a 'hidden' message to others to use my email account. You have to very carefully read the email properties to find it. The only solution was to cancel my then current account, BUT with MSN your email account stays active for 90days. It sucked..

That being said, your problem also sounds like you could have the new MyDoom email worm virus. That's one of the features - returned emails.

[PlanoMike]

Thanks!

[PlanoMike]

My-NetLink.com, not MSN. Got rid of MSN a while back as it was a pain. ANyway, I haven't used my computor since before MyDoom hit the news. I'm deleting the messages. Thsnks!

[gcruse]

more importantly, the dates they were sent (from my address) were
during the period I was out of town, and my system was down.

That's really bizarre.  I had something similar happen to me when we were testing
out our systems servers to see if they would crash when the year 2000 rolled around.  We
meant to set the computers' clocks to 2020 and see if there were any anomalies.  As
it happens, the clock software defaulted to the twentieth century and  the date went in as
1920, not 2020. 

I was unaware of the 1920 date until I came in to work the next morning and opened
up my email.  There were two messages urging me to vote for Warren Harding, and
a note from Dorothy Parker asking to be taken off the mailing list for alt. suicide.
She said, "Might as well live."

That was so strange.

[PlanoMike]

I agree, so strange!

[apackof2]

Weird things are going on with my e-mail also. I am getting non-delivery messsage from people I don't knoew and have also gotten e-mails from e-mail "gatekeepers" that I have a virus/worm
One e-mail said I had WORM.SCO.A
however when I search on http://www.sarc.com/, I couldn't find any worm with that name
They do have a MYdoom fix that I ran but my computer was not infected with that worm????

[Happygal]

Very funny!

A little bit sick!
But very funny! *LOL*

[gcruse]

Thanks.  I have a whole backroom full of that stuff!

[Happygal]

'scuse me!
I don't go into any mans 'backroom' without at least, having dinner first! ;-)

[gcruse]

I was going to invite you up to see my kvetchings. Alas.

[Happygal]

Kvetchings?
Hmmm...

~feigns temporary insanity~

If you can whip up a quick fish and chips, yer on! ;-)

[gcruse]

If you can whip up a quick fish and chips, yer on! ;-)

I passed up so many double entendres in contemplating a reply,
I had a stack overflow!  LOL

[Happygal]

I had a stack overflow! LOL

Have to say THAT's a first for me! *LOL*
But then, I am only an innocent Irish Catholic girl with a convent education! ;-) *LOL*

[gcruse]

*Blush*

[Happygal]

Blush?
Or hot flush? *LOL*

[gcruse]

I better quit. I have a serious jones for irish girls; heck, I cry at Riverdance.

[Happygal]

heck, I cry at Riverdance.

So do I. Looking at ALL those gay Irish men, dancing in tight trousers and satin shirts, lined up in a row, I wonder what the patriots of 1916 died for!;-)

[ThePythonicCow]

Ok, until I looked at the content of the returned messages.

Be sure and get an uptodate virus scan. Looking at email attachments, especially if on a Windows PC, is the primary means of spreading virus's.

My current favorite anti-virus program is Panda Antivirus, which you can download and run directly over the internet. This is convenient for those on a broadband (DSL or Cable modem) connection. Those on dial-up connections will probably find it more convenient to purchase something at the store, such as Norton or McAfee. A comparison of these three programs, done by Panda, and not surprisingly favoring Panda, is available at: Why Panda Antivirus is better than Norton or McAfee.

These bounced emails were not sent by you - they were sent by some spammer, or some other PC infected with one of these email virus's, and simply claimed to be sent by you. You should not have opened them to look.

Make sure to do that virus scan - anyone reading this with a Windows PC should be doing that. The MyDoom virus has spread faster and to more PC's than any virus in history. And one of the ways it spreads is exactly with the sort of email that you report - a claimed bounced email that you never actually had anything to do with.