There is an issue with email addresses getting hijacked. Several months ago I received an email from someone I knew a few years ago with some "get rich" link. After I received the second one I wrote back and asked her what was up. She wrote back and apologized and said her email address had been hijacked (she also uses msn).

Well, just this week a few people in my address book (my personal one not related to the forum) was sending out emails to some people there with a link, my bff received one and her corporate security had it blocked so she wrote to me and said she couldn't open the link. I have had my msn email account for a million years. I asked our software consultant what was up and he said that it must have come from some site I visited. Then the next day I received a notification from MSN saying they noticed something with my email, hmmm. I have always left my email with the password checked to just log in. They directed me to change my password. I did and now when I log into my email I use the new password. I no longer leave that box checked to log in automatically. Nothing shows up when my security was run. Somehow some creeps have figured out how to capture your email and hijack the account when at a site online.

I know a lot of people use the free emails out there but a word of caution, don't be lazy like me and change your password often and use it each time you log into your email. I don't know if it is isolated to msn email or not but be safe.

I am now going to use Last Password that is an add on with Firefox to make sure my log in information at sites where I might shop etc. can't have access to my passwords. I only use a pre paid credit card when I buy online and always use PayPal when I have the choice. I change the card every few months for new numbers because I don't want my credit card information out there.

A few months back one of the largest companies that does email promotions for major companies was hacked into and emails were stolen. A little know thing is that Microsoft encourages companies that were compromised to only report them to their security team and NOT tell the public until they figure out the issues. I read this at their site so it isn't just some rumor I heard.

I don't think this is how my email got hijacked but from a site that I may have visited.

Di

Hi, this is a critical update since we are an online community. I got my email (personal one), the site is protected and we have a security software consultant who handles things here at the forum. I started looking around and wondering how widespread this new hacking thing has become. I don't think anyone here wants it to happen to them.

Do a Google search for "msn email hacking", or yahoo or whoever you use. I was shocked when I went and did a search on UTube where the hackers have easy to follow instructions about where they find holes in the major email providers. Clearly if you look at any UTubes do NOT click on to visit the hackers sites. It is astonishing and a widespread issue. I have 2 laptops, they got into one and were sending out emails from me to my address book people. Now that laptop needs to be restored to factory settings and I will lose all my bookmarks etc. Once they get in via your email they disable and create havoc with your files.

Last night I started working on my other laptop and when I logged in for my mail in the usual manner, the hackers had hijacked that so I immediately stopped. Now in order to log into my account I go to the msn site and get in from there. Like an idiot when the log in box popped up late last night when I was trying to get the other laptop set up a log in box popped up, it looked different and I logged in using that and wham, now I need the software guy to go through my laptop and see if it has invaded my computer like they did on the other one.

I watched a bit of one of the hackers instructions on UTube and anyone with half a brain can follow their instructions to hack into whatever the latest hole they have found in the security of the email providers. I would recommend to NOT combine your email account with one company like gmail and them encourage you to do.

Change your password often, I keep a book to write them down because I don't want to fall victim to these punks again.

I would post links for the information but since many in our community use the "free" emails please Google for information about how to keep safe with whatever service you are using. I have never used one of those accounts so was quite shocked to find that those creeps with nothing better to do than sit around in their PJ's figuring out how to get past the security of the major companies got into my msn account. Because I use msn, clearly I had a false sense of security, grrrrr.

Well off to figure out what to do next to make sure I am more secure. Their invasions don't show up when I ran a full inspection. They are one step ahead of the big guys like msn, yahoo etc, it is sport to them to find vulnerable spots and brag about them and it takes them awhile to figure out where the holes are that the creeps have figured out.

Two software experts recommended the back up service called "granite" so I need to get that online also so I am not caught flat footed again. Because they have invaded the laptop with all my bookmarks I don't feel safe doing any transfers, what a hassle, I had a ton of bookmarks. I plan to install "Last Pass" or something like that via Firefox for my future bookmarks.

Interesting blog with people who were hacked by Yahoo, many of them seem to mention gmail as being safer, jeez so much to figure out.

Yahoo email hacking blog for victims

It looks like the hackers are getting in through the company servers, not having to figure out your passwords, lots of good information there.

Hi, a tip I learned at the site I posted was that I went through my personal email and put zz in front of contacts names, that way I will know by the bounced emails if there ever is a problem in the future. It isn't a big deal to just eliminate them when I send emails out.

The software consultant also said using Google alerts can get you in trouble so I am disabling the ones I have.

Di