How to stop my computer from beeing a spam emailing machine??

Question

Hi, I am using Windows XP Pro SP2.
For several days my computer has been used as a spamming email machine, how do I know that?
I know because I was using Norton antivirus with it's email scanning capability active!
Suddenly my laptop's desktop started to get flooded with many many small windows from Norton's email scanning module that were showing where the email was beeing sent, it's title (that's how I know that they were sending out spam advertising) and also that it is being scanned/rejected/unable to be sent!
My computer gets overload so I had to deactivate email spamming! But my computer kept being very very busy. I unistalled Norton and tried AVG and NOD32. I think the last one did something but I am not sure if the problem is solved!I always check windows task manager and the local area connection status window to show any "redundant acticities".
How can I be protected from this once and for all?
I try to avoid heavy programs such as Norton and Mcfee!!
Thank you people.

Answer 1

FTC Consumer Alert
Federal Trade Commission ■ Bureau of Consumer Protection ■ Office of Consumer and Business Education
Who’s Spamming Who? Could it be You?
Spammers may be using your computer to send unsolicited — and possibly offensive — email
offers for products and services. Spammers are using home computers to send bulk emails by the
millions. Indeed, computer security experts estimate that as much as 30 percent of all spam is relayed
by compromised computers located in home offices and living rooms, but controlled from afar.
According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation’s consumer protection agency,
spammers can compromise your computer in several ways, depending on what kind of Internet connection
you have. All computers connected to the Internet are potential targets, but those with broadband
connections are especially attractive to spammers because they are “always on.” Spammers scan the
Internet, searching for points of entry and then install hidden software that allows remote access to
your data and programs. That, in turn, allows the spammer to send messages from your computer.
Remote access software also can be installed by a virus: A spammer sends email with a virus in the
attachment. If you open the infected attachment, a virus is released that installs the hidden software.
The person who sent the virus now can access the data and programs on your computer, or take over
many computers and use them to send spam.
It can be very difficult to tell if a spammer has installed hidden software on your computer, but
there are some warning signs. For example, you may receive emails accusing you of sending spam;
you may find email messages in your “outbox” that you didn’t send; or your computer is using more
power than it has in the past to run the programs you use.
If your computer has been taken over by a spammer, you could face serious problems. Your
Internet Service Provider (ISP) may prevent you from sending any email at all until the virus is treated,
and treatment could be a complicated, time-consuming process.
To avoid becoming an unwitting culprit, the FTC encourages you to:
● Use anti-virus software and keep it up to date. You can download anti-virus software from the
Web sites of software companies or buy it in retail stores. Look for anti-virus software that recognizes
current viruses, as well as older ones; that can effectively reverse the damage; and that updates
automatically.
● Be cautious about opening any attachment or downloading any files from emails you receive.
Don’t open an email attachment — even if it looks like it’s from a friend or coworker — unless you
are expecting it or know what it contains. If you send an email with an attached file, include a text
message explaining what it is.
● Use a firewall to protect your computer from hacking attacks while it is connected to the Internet. A
firewall is software or hardware designed to block hackers from accessing your computer. A properly
configured firewall makes it tougher for hackers to locate your computer and get into your
programs and files. A firewall is different from anti-virus protection: Anti-virus software scans
incoming communications and files for troublesome files; a firewall helps make you invisible on the
Internet and blocks all communications from unauthorized sources. It’s especially important to run a
firewall if you have a broadband connection.
Some recently released operating system software (including Windows XP) comes with a built-in
firewall. Because it may be shipped in the “off” mode, check your online “Help” feature for specifics
on turning it on and setting it up properly. If your operating system doesn’t include a firewall,
you can install separate firewall software that runs in the background while you use your computer
and surf the Internet. Several free firewall software programs are available on the Internet. (You can
find one by typing “free firewall” into your favorite search engine.) Or you can buy a hardware
firewall — an external device that includes firewall software. Like anti-virus software, a firewall
needs to be updated regularly to stay effective.
● Check your “sent items” file or “outgoing” mailbox to see if there are messages that you did not
intend to send. Many spammers have learned to hide their unauthorized access, so even if there are
no illegitimate messages in your outbox, you can’t be sure that your computer hasn’t been used to
send spam.
● If your computer is infected, take action immediately. If your computer has been hacked or
infected by a virus, disconnect from the Internet right away. Then scan your entire computer with
fully updated anti-virus software. Report unauthorized accesses to your ISP. Also, if you suspect that
any of your passwords have been compromised, call that site’s company immediately and change
your password.
● Learn more about securing your computer at www.ftc.gov/infosecurity.
The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices in
the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a
complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit www.ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-
FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity
theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to
hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.
FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION FOR THE CONSUMER
1-877-FTC-HELP www.ftc.gov
January 2004

Answer 2

I'll keep my answer simple.

There are 2 things you mainly have to be aware of:

1) Don't let anyone access your computer remotely (physically or virtually);

2) Don't install untrusted software (knowingly, through email attachments, through web sites, etc.)

In the first point, you need to make sure you computer is secure, even when you're not using it. I believe that the physical option is easy, unless you're sharing your computer with other people. For the virtual protection, a) activate your Windows Firewall (or another one) and b) try to use your computer behind a firewall/gateway at home.

For the second point, that's where you have to be careful. Some rules of thumb (some are obvious):
- never run programs from untrusted sources, expecially files that pretend to be zipped as .EXE files;
- never use peer-2-peer apps to get .EXE files. They're full of trojans and viruses;
- install Firefox and use it instead of IE. Avoid installing untrusted ActiveX from web sites as they are programs and can mess up your PC;
- once in a while (every year), reinstall Windows. Keep your personnal data on another partition (D: drive) so that it will be easier to reinstall Windows on your C: drive. You'll see a huge improvement in performance and you'll get rid of any spyware/viruses you can have. Make sure that you don't reinstall over your version of Windows, but that you actually format the C: drive and start from scratch;
- install an anti-virus;
- install an anti-spyware.

If you follow these simple rules, you'll greatly reduce the risks of your problems happening again.

Good luck!

Answer 3

I have my computer set to only accept e-mails from people in my address book, the rest go into a spam folder and are automatically deleted after a week. I now get very few , maybe one or two a day.

Answer 4

Many hours are wasted due to spam email. However, by taking simple precautions while giving out your email and installing updated free software, you can prevent spam. More info available at
http://fixit.in/stopspam.html

Answer 5

Computers which generate SPAM or are used to DoS attacks are often referred as “zombies”. You are simply infected with malware and procedure is same as with removal of any malware. Try scanning with AV and anty spyware programs (free ones: AdAware, Spybot, HijackThis). You could also try:

1.Online scans (McAfee’s free stand alone remover – “Stinger” is quite OK)
http://vil.nai.com/vil/averttools.aspx
http://www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove/default.mspx
http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/ax/
http://usa.kaspersky.com/services/free-virus-scanner.php
http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/promotions/pestscan/pestscan.jsp?lid=em_ps
http://www.trendmicro.com/spyware-scan/
http://www.pandasoftware.com/products/activescan
2.Googling for removal tool once name of malware is known
3.Try posting on some AS forums:
http://forum.tweakxp.com/forum/Topic4303-29-1.aspx
4.If all fails as a last resort you can also try rootkit revealer tool from Sysinternals (recently bought by Microsoft) or F-secure rootkit scanner and post scan result on their forum:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/Utilities/RootkitRevealer.mspx
http://www.f-secure.com/blacklight/

Unfortunately if malware are rootkit based, there are little chances you will ever be able to fully remove it. Crossing fingers for you it is not,…

“Protect once for all” - is more of a many topic science than any simply instruction. Excellent, simple terms (for not tech people) source of education: try listening to auditions from this page, particularly audition #7 (fast forward it to 20 minutes 50 secs):

http://www.grc.com/SecurityNow.htm
http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html - helpful tool for tightening system's policies

Answer 6

this is a good question but can anybody make and answer a litte short