Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

internetworkers - Re: [internetworkers] Hijacked email protection

internetworkers AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Steven Champeon <schampeo AT hesketh.com>
  • To: internetworkers AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [internetworkers] Hijacked email protection
  • Date: Thu, 30 Sep 2010 11:49:29 -0400

on Thu, Sep 30, 2010 at 09:41:34AM -0400, Jeanne Moyer wrote:
> Many of my friends and contacts have had their email addresses hijacked
> lately. Seems more hotmai than any otherl, only one gmail so far. What
> should I be doing to protect my computer other than the obvious?
>
> I NEVER click on the links. I am running AVG. I have written back to my
> friends to let them know about the emails with a message containing
> information that only the two of us know so they know it is reallly me.

As John pointed out, some of these may be forgeries, but there's also a
popular scam being run lately where some criminal cracks your email
password and actually has access to your account (or twitter, or
facebook, etc.) and sends a message to everyone in your address book
saying you're caught without cash after being mugged or whatever in some
foreign land, asking for help (send/wire cash, etc.) that can easily be
prevented. If your password(s) are simple, CHANGE THEM TO SOMETHING HARD
TO GUESS. And by hard to guess, I mean hard for a computer to match
against huge databases of obvious passwords.

http://lifehacker.com/184773/geek-to-live--choose-and-remember-great-passwords

Oh, and don't ever send any of your friends money based on some frantic
email - try calling them at home first :-)

--
hesketh.com/inc. v: +1(919)834-2552 f: +1(919)834-2553 w: http://hesketh.com/
antispam news and intelligence to help you stop spam: http://enemieslist.com/




Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page