Email virus??? HELP!!

Hi there,

I'm starting to freak out here!! I have 2 virus softwares on my comp, Norton and AVG and am still having virus troubles... I think. I update daily and am having problems with email.

I'm getting bounced emails back like I tried to send them to people but I didn't. I recognise some names but most I don't... Is this a virus and what do I do????

I did find I think 5 virus' on here the other day but they were taken care of with the software but I'm just starting to freak out a bit.

advice anyone???

Thanks,

Crysti

 

Im running my anti virus now and it found 6 "trojan horse dialers" so far..... These are the same ones as before....

What am I doing wrong here???

Thanks!

 

I think that two AV's are OK to have, what causes problems is if they are both actively scanning at the same time - only one should be checking e-mails and file opens, writes, and so on.

The second AV can be used as an on-demand file scanner to cross-check.

If you've got dialers, download and install SpyBot http://tomcoyote.org/SPYBOT/ Read the turorial

Ad-aware http://www.lavasoft.de/software/adaware/

If you really don't have a firewall, at least activate ICF, XP's firewall.

Regards - Charles

 

Someone that has your address may not be running an AV Checker and has been infected. I believe it has to get in before it can get out I would do some inquiries and see if I could find out who.

If I am wrong there folks please tell me.

I am using Windows 98, 98 SE and XP Pro on different machines.

Yes. I do use AVG6 or AVG7 as my AV software and Kerio for a Firewall. And they are all behind a Router. Which I have been told is a tremendous help.

I do not use Windows XP firewall. It is USELESS. It only blocks incomming and I am not sure it blocks everything of that.

But it is better than nothing.

A Router and Something like Kerio is MUCH better protection. Or Kerio alone is better. The Router just ake a lot of load off of the Software Firewall.

I write about Kerio as that is what I use but there are others that are good to.

Norton AV is OK. Internet Security ( AV and Firewall ) are also good on most machines. On mine they cause other problems.

As some one else mentioned you can have two Anti-Virus programs installed but just make sure that only one at a time is actually running and doing the checking.

As to AV software. At this time it is a necessity that we check for updates EVERY DAY I say this because AVG6 & 7 have had updates several days in a row recently.

So has Ad-Aware and Moosoft Cleaner3 ( trojan checker )

I see that Kittie Cat does this.

Also as a suggestion I would get MailWasher so you can pre-screen you mail right on the server and delete anything that looks suspicious.

There was another program mentioned by someone that does the same thing ( and maybe even better ) but I have no Idea what it was. And someday when I am not looking for it I will more than likely find it.

BillyBob

 

BB

juror11 mentioned "Lydia ". Here is a link to a mailwasher-like program for $19.95.

 

Thank you.

Lydia is now listed as a Favorite the way it should have been in the fisrt place.

BB

 

I'm sorry, I should have added....

They don't run at the same time, but they do both run daily and I do have a firewall, Zone Alarm on there and I have Ad Aware too! and the two computers are through a LinkSys router.... I have Mail Washer...hmmmm what else???

So, Basically when something like this is found, DELETE them, not quarantine them? They were in a TEMP folder and I just went and deleted everything in there, just to be sure...

I can't possibly think of anything else I can do about this, I have a million softwares on there!! I just got some more emails with a "delivery failure" from people I don't even know...

Is there anything else I can POSSIBLY do? I will re read this thread but it seems like I have all of that.....

BTW, morning!!!

 

They are not lurking in system restore files are they?

 

How would I know that? Where to look? I'm not home right now so can't do it now.....but if I get instructions, I can start tonight..



Thanks!

 

XP

 

Delete & quarantine will both leave you safe and protected. But I usually opt to delete since the stuff is just trash/clutter and I see no reason to take up hard drive space storing it.

Bounced emails - these don't really have anything to do with you, are not dangerous to you, and are nothing you could stop anyway.

Someone else is infected and the virus is sending emails out from their computer as if they were from various other people listed in their address book.

When one that says it was from you can't be delivered, you get the bounce even though you did not have anything to do with sending it. And lots of them bounce since the virus is picking addresses at random and trying to send infected email. Many of the addresses don't exist and will cause a delivery failure notice to be sent to you.

 

Take a look at the size of the e-mails that you are getting. Anything over, lets say 5 to 10 kb in size, be extremely carefull with. Unless you know exactly by whom and what it is being sent, don't open and delete.

Regards - Charles

 

Thanks guys, guess I'll just keep doing what I'm doing and be careful... My firewall is catching stuff, I made it visible to make sure but nothing new..... I did reset the System Restore, maybe that helped... we'll see.

For now, all is well in computer land!! Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend! Now if I could only find something to kill these spam emails, I'd be a happy camper! Mailwasher is fine for now... I am off to do my unpacking (fun fun fun)