My hotmail is sending out viruses

[ShawnD1]

I just logged into Hotmail today (website, not outlook) and I have 3 emails notifying me that emails from me have been blocked.

Return-path: <my email address>
Received: from [24.72.74.61] (helo=STAMMMER)
by host.root-name-server.net with esmtp (Exim 4.20)
id 19r6pl-0006t5-WB
for reciever@rhymeshrine.com; Sun, 24 Aug 2003 22:11:54 -0400
From: <my email address>
To: <reciever@rhymeshrine.com>
Subject: Re: Wicked screensaver
Date: Sun, 24 Aug 2003 20:12:09 --0600
X-MailScanner: Found to be clean
Importance: Normal
X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2600.0000
X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
X-Priority: 3 (Normal)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: multipart/mixed;
boundary="_NextPart_000_01684130"
Message-Id: <E19r6pl-0006t5-WB@host.root-name-server.net>

This is a multipart message in MIME format

--_NextPart_000_01684130
Content-Type: text/plain;
charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Please see the attached file for details.
--_NextPart_000_01684130
Content-Type: application/octet-stream;
name="your_details.pif"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64
Content-Disposition: attachment;
filename="your_details.pif"




Another email telling me I sent a virus said this in it.

Virus Information:
The attachment document_9446.pif contained the virus W32.Sobig.F@mm and could NOT be repaired.


I changed the email addresses to protect my account and the other guy's account from spam.

Why are these emails being sent out under my name? Is there anything I can do to stop it such as notify hotmail or something?

[PresterJohn]

>Why are these emails being sent out under my name? Is there anything I can do to stop it such as notify hotmail or something?

it's your machine that is infected...contacting hotmail has nothing to do w/your problem nor will it make it go away.

you can either update you AV signatures and do a complete scan or use one of the free online scanners to clean your machine.

also, make sure you are current on any OS security patches.

[ShawnD1]

I have Norton and it doesn't find anything. That web based virus scanner doesn't find anything either.

[iNeb]

So.Big fakes the outgoing address =(

[vass0922]

It may not even be you, it could be a friend or somebody who just happened to have your email address lying around somewhere.

The virus sends the email and changes the FROM address to something it collects from the address book or from the IE cache.

[PresterJohn]

hmmm...try sending a test email (not the homail acct) to another account (either your own or a friend) and then try opening that email (from another machine or your' friend's PC)...MAKE SURE you have AV running w/latest signatures on the machine.

[ShawnD1]

Preston can you please rephrase your post. I don't understand what you are telling me to do.

[shahani]

http://securityresponse.symantec.com...dumaru@mm.html

[PresterJohn]

Originally posted by ShawnD1
Preston can you please rephrase your post. I don't understand what you are telling me to do.

the idea is to confirm if your machine is an infected email host.

you need to try to send a test email to either yourself or a friend. you need to send the test email from a non-hotmail account (your personal ISP account will do) from the suspected host to an email addy which is either your own (non hotmail) to a trusted friend. if you send the email to yourself, you need to open the email on a different machine that you are certain is virus-free and which is running an up to date AV. same applies if the test email is going to your friend.

[ShawnD1]

Ok I sent an email from 1 account to the other and no viruses were found on the emails.

Looks like my butt's off the hook