Please help, my emails are being intercepted by spammers!

neok · 2008-12-25 19:16:14

Hi,

I recently had enough of junkmail getting through my ISP's filters and Sylpheed's bogofilter, even after regular training. I decided to make a white list by making filter rules that would divert spam to the Junk folder, if the From: header did not contain the name of an email domain from my address book. I then asked my regular contacts to sent a blank reply to my email just to make sure they get through to the Inbox.

Within 48 hours I received an email from a spammer that used a fake From: with an email address supposed to be coming from my ISP's email server! Now I think there are at least three ways this could happen:

The spammer breaks in regularly into my machine (which I run as a normal user) and discovered the white list filter arrangement.

The spammer inercepted my email on the way to my regular contacts.

The spammer has spyware installed on at least one of my contact's machine and obtained a copy of my email.

Whatever the case, I now even have junkmail arriving with my own address in the From: header! Any idea which is the most likely way the spammer(s) intercepted my email? I may soon change to a new ISP and would like to take measures, if at all possible these days, to guard my new email address. And is there a way I can find out if one of my contacts has spyware installed?

Please help! This is rather a serious problem for me and others as well, I should think.

My thanks in advance.

byte · 2008-12-25 23:23:12

Nobody intercepted or hacked anything.
Relying on the From: header is totally and utterly useless.
From: is a free-form field, just like Date:, To:, Subject: or anything else.
You can put anything you like there and spam with your own From: address is a rather common sight.

neok · 2008-12-26 12:31:24

byte wrote:

Nobody intercepted or hacked anything.
Relying on the From: header is totally and utterly useless.
From: is a free-form field, just like Date:, To:, Subject: or anything else.
You can put anything you like there and spam with your own From: address is a rather common sight.

Actually, this is what I got from the spammer, after I notified my regular contacts in my address book that I set up an addressbook-based white list which directs non-whitelisted emails to the junk folder:

Gucci
To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add gucci@announcement.gucci.com to your address book.
Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy
Unable to view? Please go to http://www.gucci.com/e/b/us/chiodo08
You have subscribed to receive Gucci email communication. US Corporate Address: 685 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY, 10022, USA

Now I feel this strongly suggests that the spammer read the email I sent to my regular contacts. And before this happened, I never got any emails with a return address other than some apparently random dummy email.

If he was smart enough to find out that I made a whitelist to avoid junk mail, why does he suggest I put him in the address book? I guess he thinks I must be stupid, trying as I did to avoid junk mail!

Thank you

zenlord · 2008-12-26 12:52:31

lol

That's default in most mailing list software because they know many people have filters set up like you just did. Don't worry.

fukawi2 · 2008-12-26 22:44:45

As byte said, there's no hacking or anything going on - all it is is something called Back Scatter.

See Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outscatter

neok · 2008-12-27 16:49:07

fukawi2 wrote:

As byte said, there's no hacking or anything going on - all it is is something called Back Scatter.
See Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outscatter

We should go back to fax - or can thay spam that too! (spamfax or faxspam?) ;-)

kludge · 2008-12-27 21:09:46

neok wrote:

fukawi2 wrote:
As byte said, there's no hacking or anything going on - all it is is something called Back Scatter.
See Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outscatter
We should go back to fax - or can thay spam that too! (spamfax or faxspam?) ;-)

yup, it exists. google it. the best is the fax loop: take a really long sheet of paper, feed it through the fax machine, and tape the ends together. dial. annoy

Arch Linux

#1 2008-12-25 19:16:14

Please help, my emails are being intercepted by spammers!

#2 2008-12-25 23:23:12

Re: Please help, my emails are being intercepted by spammers!

#3 2008-12-26 12:31:24

Re: Please help, my emails are being intercepted by spammers!

#4 2008-12-26 12:52:31

Re: Please help, my emails are being intercepted by spammers!

#5 2008-12-26 22:44:45

Re: Please help, my emails are being intercepted by spammers!

#6 2008-12-27 16:49:07

Re: Please help, my emails are being intercepted by spammers!

#7 2008-12-27 21:09:46

Re: Please help, my emails are being intercepted by spammers!

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