HACKED

[larryJ]

PLEASE BE AWARE THAT MY COMPUTER SERVICE (AOL) ACCOUNT HAS BEEN COMPROMISED.  I HAVE HAD TWO CREDIT CARD NOTIFICATIONS THAT SOMEONE TRIED TO USE MY CREDIT CARDS.  I HAVE JUST BEEN NOTIFIED BY MY SON THAT HE RECEIVED AN E-MAIL FROM ME ASKING FOR MONEY AS I WAS STRANDED IN ENGLAND.  DO NOT RESPOND TO ANY PRIVATE MESSAGES FROM ME FROM THIS TIME ON AS I WILL NOT BE SENDING ANY.  A COUSIN IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA RECEIVED THE SAME E-MAIL ASKING FOR MONEY.  MY ADDRESS BOOK HAS BEEN COMPROMISED AS WELL.  I DON'T KNOW THAT THE FORUM WOULD BE INVOLVED, BUT I AM NOT TAKING THE CHANCE.  I WILL POST AS USUAL BUT NO PERSONAL MESSAGES FROM ME.

LARRYJ

[Janet Harrington]

Okay, Larry. I think you are being wise. I wonder what avenue they used to hack you?

[Roma Jean Turner]

This has happened to my cousin and two other people I know.  They all had gmail.  I forget how it works. But thet copy your contact list and then anyone who responds to that email can also have thir list hacked.

[larryJ]

As I look into this deeper, there are a few possibilities surfacing.  When we took our trip to the beach in late February, I used a Wi-Fi connection for my computer being assured that the network connection was secure.  My problem has only recently surfaced (within the last ten days) and I have more or less ruled that trip out.  We recently signed up for a new gym and provided the billing info for the automatic withdrawals and I suspect now that is where the problem is.  In checking the websites for that gym, there are a lot of complaints about them, i.e. billing mistakes, refunds or lack thereof, etc.  I will cancel that tomorrow. 

None of you have ever been listed in my AOL address book, so I think you are secure.  However, the forum is listed in my favorite places.  My favorites apparently, has not been touched, but who knows?  If they have access to my computer and my e-mail, I could assume they have access to everything.  My passwords have been changed by me and I have doubled the security for my computer. 

As I said, I will not send any personal messages to anyone for the time being.  If you receive one, report it. 

I hope and pray none of you are affected by this.

Larryj

[Anmar]

Larry,

I'm sorry that you were hacked.  I'm not an expert, but I feel like I can provide a little insight.  If your e-mail account was compromised, its not likely that the Gym is the culprit.  Probably a trojan virus found its way onto your hard drive and collected the information.  It could have been on your computer for weeks or even months before you noticed the compromise.  If you haven't done a complete virus scan, its probably a good idea.  Don't run out and buy expensive software, you can get it free.

http://www.avast.com/free-antivirus-download

http://home.mcafee.com/Store/FreeTrial.aspx?link=63ft

http://www.pctools.com/free-antivirus/

Best of luck

[mtcookson]

For free versions, I definitely like Avast. One of the best AV's I've found so far is ESET NOD32. Its not free but, you can get a free 30 day trial that should wipe out any harmful items on your computer then you could go to one of the free ones like Avast if you don't want to purchase it.

[larryJ]

Thanks, i already run Norton and Mcafee.  I have done a full scan with one and am doing a full scan with the other.  I will try one of the others also.  The more the merrier.  I mentioned the gym because of the timing and the fact that to gain membership, I had to give the info that the hacker now has.  I will wait and see. 

Thanks again

Larryj

[mtcookson]

Generally its not a good idea to run two or more AV's at the same time as it could cause conflicts. Running multiple scans is generally ok, though I like to run them separately, its not near as bad as running the monitoring programs at the same time. That's where conflicts can potentially occur. Installing an AV program while another is running can cause the installed one to say your computer has a threat. They just don't seem to mix with each other too well.

Between the two you have, I personally prefer Norton over McAfee. From recent reviews I've seen it seems as though Norton is doing a bit better than McAfee. When it comes times to renew though, I highly recommend checking out ESET NOD32 (or Smart Security). I've been very happy with that AV.

It seems most AV programs these days have anti-spyware as well but it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to run a free one like Ad-Aware on the side.

[sodbuster]

Larry there are many ways that your info. could have been compromised. I doubt it was from the health club. As Anmar said I would lean to a trojan horse or possibly from your bank being hacked.  I have had this happen too. Norton is my favorite virus software just run a scan with it and remember to do it while your computer is in safe mode.

To start the computer in safe mode
1.
You should print these instructions before continuing. They will not be available after you shut your computer down in step 2.

2.
Click Start and then click Shut Down.

3.
In the drop-down list of the Shut Down Windows dialog box, click Restart, and then click OK.

4.
As your computer restarts but before Windows launches, press F8. 
On a computer that is configured for booting to multiple operating systems, you can press F8 when the boot menu appears.

5.
Use the arrow keys to highlight the appropriate safe mode option, and then press ENTER.

6.
If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot system, choose the installation that you need to access using the arrow keys, and then press ENTER.


Note

• If Windows launches before you can choose a safe mode, restart your computer and try again.

• In safe mode, you have access to only basic files and drivers (mouse, monitor, keyboard, mass storage, base video, default system services, and no network connections). You can choose the Safe Mode with Networking option, which loads all of the above files and drivers and the essential services and drivers to start networking, or you can choose the Safe Mode with Command Prompt option, which is exactly the same as safe mode except that a command prompt is started instead of the graphical user interface. You can also choose Last Known Good Configuration, which starts your computer using the registry information that was saved at the last shutdown.

• Safe mode helps you diagnose problems. If a symptom does not reappear when you start in safe mode, you can eliminate the default settings and minimum device drivers as possible causes. If a newly added device or a changed driver is causing problems, you can use safe mode to remove the device or reverse the change.

• There are circumstances where safe mode will not be able to help you, such as when Windows system files that are required to start the system are corrupted or damaged. In this case, the Recovery Console may help you.

• NUM LOCK must be off before the arrow keys on the numeric keypad will function

[larryJ]

Thanks for the advice.  I will definitely do that.

Larryj