Avast WEBforum
Consumer Products => Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security (legacy Pro Antivirus, Internet Security, Premier) => Topic started by: den21 on August 18, 2009, 11:31:32 PM
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I been told online by some people that they have been getting alot of strange emails from me, though i now its not me sending them, i thinking that there must be a virus leerking somewhere.
I usually up-date my computer, and regularly scan but there are no virus's found.
What do i need to do, anyone else been having the same problem
Thanks
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i would suggest a change of your password(email id's password).
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So its not a virus then, pheeew
yes i was thinking that maybe someones was using my ussername from another location, will get on that right away.
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try it and if it doesn't workout then come back.
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Changing your password will make no difference whatsoever.
If your system is sending out spam it doesn't use your email program, so no password required.
Emails frequently use email addresses from infected systems in a forged from address. So it is more likely that this is the case.
Set the avast Internet Mail provider to High as this would also monitor any activity outside of you sending email and it also monitors multiple identical emails in a time period (spam), so this would be an early indication that you have a hidden or undetected trojan spambot.
What is your firewall ?
As that should also protect against unauthorised outbound connections, like spambots trying to connect to send.
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My assumption : person does not use an email client. he may be using a webmail.
edit: anyways the person's is going to come back if he has problems again.
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I didn't read anything that led me to believe that, so we need feedback from the OP.
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OP?
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hi DavidR
My internet mail scan is showing on High, and i haven't had any slowness to the pc as a sign of maybe having a virus, the pc is working at normal speed.
My firewall is also on, and its windows security centre
Edit to add
I've just noticed that my internet mail scan is showing ( No count, but says its running?
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OP?
Original Poster.
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My internet mail scan is showing on High, and i haven't had any slowness to the pc as a sign of maybe having a virus, the pc is working at normal speed.
You won't notice any slowness bumping it up to High as for the most part it doesn't use any more resources and will be in a waiting state until you send or receive email. Having it set to high will have alerted you if your system was sending spam, so what others were suggesting you were sending spam doesn't appear correct. You haven't said what your email program is either ?
My firewall is also on, and its windows security centre
You don't say what your firewall is ?
The windows security center isn't your firewall as that is just a monitor to tell you if it is on or off.
What is your Operating System ?
Edit to add
I've just noticed that my internet mail scan is showing ( No count, but says its running?
This would bring us to your email program again and if you use webmail (e.g. view your email through your browser) ?
Or if you have to use an email program to download the email, but you have to use SSL/TLS secure encrypted email ?
What is your ISP (or where is this email coming from, gmail, Yahoo, MSN, etc.) ?
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What email client are you using?
Are you using the built-in firewall or a third party one?
Have you scanned your system with any other scanner besides Avast?
Is windows up-to-date(fully patched)?
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I also have had similar problems in the past (and continue to do so). Apparently, there is nothing I can do. My PC is clean, avast! scan is clean and so is MBAM. Gmail marks these e-mails from 'me' as spam.
From what I gather, other PCs / users to whom I have sent e-mail and am in their address book may have viruses / trojans which are spoofing the e-mail addresses. If I examine these headers, the e-mail is clearly not originating from gmail or my usual ISP smtp domains.
If anybody else has any suggestions to prevent this, I would be most appreciative.
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OKay so many things i need to understand here, i'm not very computer minded, so pls forgive me if i appear abit vague with my answers.
Right, i'm using XP Windows,
The email i use is from my current provider AOL
I am not using another firewall protection, just the windows built in one .
Not using another Anti -virus protection, only using Avast on my system.
I regularly scan on standard, but today i'm doing a thorough scan to see if this will pick anything up.
Sorry i know i seem abit vague, i do my best
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What Service Pack (SP) level is XP?
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<snip>
Right, i'm using XP Windows,
<rearranged>
I am not using another firewall protection, just the windows built in one .
The windows XP firewall provides zero outbound protection:
Whilst the windows XP firewall is usually good at keeping your ports stealthed (hidden) it provides no outbound protection and you should consider a third party firewall.
Any malware that manages to get past your defences will have free reign to connect to the internet to either download more of the same, pass your personal data (sensitive or otherwise, user names, passwords, keylogger retrieved data, etc.) or open a backdoor to your computer, so outbound protection is essential.
The email i use is from my current provider AOL
The AOHell email program uses a proprietary protocol, not the standard email protocols (POP3 and SMTP) and for that reason avast's email scanner can't scan it. It can however, do as I said monitor outbound email not using that email program (e.g. a spambot).
Whilst AOHell tries to isolate customers from the real internet (they say protect), many of its applications don't conform to accepted internet standards. Far from isolating/protecting customers it leaves you less well protected, as security applications can't integrate with their proprietary protocols. Protocol is a set way of doing something.
Computer Science A standard procedure for regulating data transmission between computers.
Not using another Anti -virus protection, only using Avast on my system.
I regularly scan on standard, but today i'm doing a thorough scan to see if this will pick anything up.
<snip>
I doubt that a Thorough scan will reveal anything more, as the Standard scan checks this files most liable to be at risk of infection.
If you haven't already got this software (freeware), download, install, update and run it periodically.
- 1. MalwareBytes Anti-Malware, On-Demand only in free version http://download.bleepingcomputer.com/malwarebytes/mbam-setup.exe (http://download.bleepingcomputer.com/malwarebytes/mbam-setup.exe), right click on the link and select Save As or Save File (As depending on your browser), save it to a location where you can find it easily later.
- 2. SUPERantispyware (http://www.superantispyware.com) On-Demand only in free version.
Don't worry about reported tracking cookies they are a minor issue and not one of security, allow SAS to deal with them though. - See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_cookie (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_cookie).
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Hello DavidR
And thanks for expianing all of the above, i'm now reading it over again so i uderstand it abit better.
I've also downloaded the Anti -Malwarebytes on my system as you recommended.
My results of my Thorough SCAN came back ( NO affected files found,
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You're welcome.
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Hello DavidR
Thanks for giving me the firewall options that you recommed for extra protection, i went with ( Agnitum Outpost version, it downloaded quicky and i have had no problems with it so far, fingers crossed :-)
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No problem, good luck.
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I also have had similar problems in the past (and continue to do so). Apparently, there is nothing I can do. My PC is clean, avast! scan is clean and so is MBAM. Gmail marks these e-mails from 'me' as spam.
From what I gather, other PCs / users to whom I have sent e-mail and am in their address book may have viruses / trojans which are spoofing the e-mail addresses. If I examine these headers, the e-mail is clearly not originating from gmail or my usual ISP smtp domains.
If anybody else has any suggestions to prevent this, I would be most appreciative.
no-if someone is spoofing you all you can do is report it to the ISP that it came from (pretty much useless)