Rob Lane
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 posted on 15/10/03 at 05:03 PM |
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email problem, address being used by spammers
Anyone have any ideas on this one. I keep getting 'Mail undeliverable' notices from automated systems.
It appears an advertising spammer has been using my company address ***@ domsat.co.uk to send spam emails regarding bulk advertising.
The emails are returned as being sent by 'xyz' or some other random name at Domsat.
Are they generating a random return to address incorporating any at Domsat OR have they hacked the mail server at my ISP?
I have changed my access password today in the hope that will stop it.
I have checked the system today with the latest Norton definitions and I do not have a virus showing. I've run spyware and adware checkers and
nothing comes up.
I was under the impression that they may have hacked the server but my ISP denies this.
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GO
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| posted on 15/10/03 at 05:24 PM |
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I don't think they'd have to hack your ISP to be able to do that, as far as I know its all far too unfortunately easy to send emails
impersonating someone else.
As you suggest, it looks like they're simply generating random addresses at your host as a return address. One thing that may (probably not) be
of interest is that the from address and return to address are separate, so I can send an email with a from address of my work account, but get the
reply email sent to my home account by adjusting the return to address.
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flyingkiwi
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| posted on 15/10/03 at 06:31 PM |
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according to the missus (she's a bit of a computer boffin) there's only one thing you can possibly do about it, and thats look at the
email thats been returned to you and it should have the origional email attached to it. Look at the header of the attached email and it will either
give you the originating email address or an ip address, forward the email to his ISP intact and they should be able to trace the guy and close his
account
ISP's usually use webmaster@***.co.uk or spam@***.co.uk, or what ever extension they use.
She lost me on line two, but hey - worth a try!
I've got a bit of software for outlook called I Hate Spam, that, although won't solve your current problem, will stop other spam from
getting through
Give me a yell if your interested in it
Chris
It Runs!!!!! Bring on the SVA!
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Noodle
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| posted on 15/10/03 at 08:14 PM |
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It's easy to spoof the ID of the sender. We used to do it at work, sending people emails apparently from the M.D. professing undying love for
the recipient.
I've recently become victim of a spoofed-header spam myself on my Yahoo account. I've worked out it's from somebodies machine with a
virus. The emails try and get me to download some chain-letter screen saver, but I've also noticed that they corrupt a file on the senders
computer. In my case, I often get the first few lines of a best mans' speech I heard recently.
Don't take it personally, these people are scum. Come the revolution brothers! 
Neil.
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DaveFJ
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| posted on 16/10/03 at 08:05 AM |
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There is a very prolific virus (name escapes me at mo) which will spoof email addresses. It infects a computer and then reads thei address book and
uses any/all addresses in the book to spoof from. Unfortunately because of its nature there is practiacally nothing you can do. It could have
originated from ANYBODY who has your email address WITHOUT their knowledge. Later versions even upload your address book to a remote site and spam
from there so totally untraceable...
Clever buggers these crackers......
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ned
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| posted on 16/10/03 at 09:24 AM |
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I get messages all the time bouncing to my address that I never sent. As said above, people just fake from and/or reply addresses. i just
ignore/delete them. They probably aren't tracable as use hacked machines or non static ip addresses...
Never mind eh, 10secs to hit the 'del' key every now and then.
Ned.
beware, I've got yellow skin
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Rob Lane
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| posted on 16/10/03 at 10:54 AM |
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Thanks all.
I'm puzzled by the fact that some of the mails must be reaching loads of recipients.
But they are not spamming me back or sending a complaint to me as the so called 'sender'
I've looked at the headers etc and they all say I originated the mail. There's an attachment for ' Email advertising, bulk mailing
addresses ......' which I will not open. My system is set up NOT to run scripts or open any attachments.
Hopefully it will die soon as I'm fed up of an inbox of 150 + mails an hour. I can't set up a rule for undeliverable in case one of them
is an important notice for me from my sent biz mails.
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JoelP
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| posted on 16/10/03 at 11:18 AM |
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id chat with the SP, get them not to return undeliverable ones. real mail should still get thru.
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