Spyware, viruses, & security forum: Help! I'm Sending Out Spam!

Many viruses send out infected emails. It will be much simpler to help you if you tell us the names of the viruses, OS version and browser version.

Unless the old version of NAV has up-to-date virus definitions, it is almost useless to you.

Thanks for the info. AVG didn't say what the viruses were, just that there were two and it apparently didn't remove them. Perhaps the info is there and I don't know where to look.

Thanks for your input. I use Sygate on the hard wired computer but I don't have a software firewall on this networked computer. I do have benefit of the router from the Wi-Fi but obvously that hasn't been of any help.

Thanks. I'm in the process of doing a virus scan. I've now been able to identify the viruses. It looks like there are two of JS NOCLOSE A in my Docs & Settings but they aren't cleanable. So where do I go from here?

Thanks so much. Now I still have that little problem about my computer sending out spam. Where should I go with that one?

Thanks so much. Now I still have that little problem about my computer sending out spam. Where should I go with that one?

There's a possibility that your computer is not sending spam messages but appears to be. For example, let's say I'm a spammer and I have a list of email addresses. If I've got my own email server, I can send out a spam message and make the "From" field appear to be any of the email addresses on the list. The spam would appear to come from you but it's really coming from the spammer. The only time you would know is when the spam message gets bounced back to the email address in the "From" field, which is your email address.

Since your original message was an "Unable to send" message, this could very well be what's happening; you got the bounce back from someone sending email as you. It's sort of an identity theft but with email addresses.

The problem is that there's nothing you can really do in this case.

In our organization, some users have gone to a web-based email (using our domain name) and they still get the same problem you're getting.

is not being received over-enthousiastically: see http://reviews.cnet.com/5208-6132-0.html?forumID=32&threadID=24474&messageID=268851

Kees

I use XP Pro with Zone Alarm version 5 and have had no problems to-date.

I'm sending out spam in a way that is a little different from what is posted here by most people. I know spammers use my yahoo email address because those trash emails have occasionally bounced back to me from recipient addresses that does not exist. However, I have a mac, and I have always disabled the feature of sending email from my mac without manual login via a web browser. The pop mail feature for my yahoo account is explicitly disabled on my mac for the sole purpose of avoiding a virus/parasite hijacking my email address from my desktop. But spammers are sending virus, porn, and ***** enlargement drugs and viagra with my email address anyway.

To be sure, these bounce backs are not as prevalent for me right now as it was a few months ago. Nevertheless, it is quite frustrating because there doesn't seem like much one can do to stop them, short of blowing their brains to pieces with a shot gun. While I don't see a quick solution to this problem any time soon, I'm complaining here not to make people paranoid, but to let everyone know that, apparently, faking email addresses is not all that difficult, virus or not. So don't be shocked if your email address is used without your permission, even when your computer is uninfected.

I have had the same thing happen over the past year. I have never found copies of the sent emails anywhere in my Outlook Express not even the deleted folder. Somehow someone has gotten my email address and is spoofing with it. I get the non-deliverable notices occasionally. I suppose changing to a new email address could put a stop to it. But, I'm sure it would end up happening again. It sucks that people have to take advantage of innocent people for their dirty work.

wolfman6

But would that explain they appear in the Outlook folders? Without any malicious software present on the machine being used?

Kees

What can you do if your ISP happens to use Port 25 for outgoing SMTP mail server as with Cox.net?

Hi all,

Yes , I do have ZoneAlarm ( free version ).

I use Panda Platinum Internet Security 2005 , it has a built-in firewall , but it didn't work well, so I deactivated it.

I'm using ZoneAlarm again now.

It works well.

Maybe in the future I will start using ZoneAlarm Pro or any other product of their site.

I don't know yet , though.