this question is about Hotmail junk mail...

How would they be able to send me an email "from" my own email address? I got some porn email in my Hotmail account that showed it was from my own email address.

I thought that was rather creepy thinking someone could sent out email from my address (or at least appearing it was from my address).....

I got the same problem too...

I wish someone can help us!

Could be any malware. Did you scan your system with an updated anti virus scanner? Otherwise use one of the online scanners at
http://virusall.com/downscan.html

If this happened within five days and your system is WIN9x,
a registry restore could well be the fix.

We need an expert here but this is what I was told by a friend about Hotmail.
Spammers find your address somehow. They know that you have not placed a "block sender" on your own address so they use your address to get the mail thru the blocks you might have put up.

In your hotmail account, go to "Options", "Mail Display Settings" and then choose "Full Headers". You can now see the full address. You can forward a complaint to the server used at ...abuse@(insert server name) . They want you to sent the mail with the full header. It's easy to change back and forth and I only use the "full header" when I want to forward to an abuse account.

Internet e-mail is based on total trust between mail servers. The mail server that receives an e-mail message does nothing to verify or validate it. If a spammer generates the headers with a software tool they can make any e-mail appear to come from anyone.

So, putting your e-mail address as both the FROM and TO is easily accomplished.

This is a side-effect of the Internet starting out small and used by primarily by educational institutions. Way, way too trusting.

-- Craig Yellick

Is this possible?
... someone knows a friend of yours, a friend you trust...The person borrows that friends hotmail header, and sends you an e-mail with a virus attached...And naturally you're tempted to blame the trusted friend?....Who has no idea what is taking place...

...Is it possible?...Could a h*cker pick up e-mail headers h*cking computers?

(I would imagine there are others besides Hotmail where this is possible?)

I'm a computer amateur

quote:

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Originally posted by Buddy:
Is this possible?
... someone knows a friend of yours, a friend you trust...The person borrows that friends hotmail header, and sends you an e-mail with a virus attached..
...Is it possible?...Could a h*cker pick up e-mail headers h*cking computers?

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Yes, quite possible most email is sent unencrypted and can be scanned at several points along its circuitous journey to the intended recipient. Once header information is captured anyone can spoof their mail "envelope" and header ID to say whatever they want.

And Hotmail is no more susceptable to this practice than most mail servers.

encrypted e-mail would solve the problem?

All your friends would have to be made aware not to trust unencrypted e-mail?...or this route... "friend better beware, you should have up-to-date virus software?"

I get the same thing. I get emails all the time from my own email address. Oh gee I lvoe sending myself email in my spare time...NOT But I don't have hotmail. I have AOL. I have also been getting alot of emails from people I don't know that have file attatchments. I delete those...never thought about running Norton anit virus...DUH! Oh & I have been getting strange emails from my friends, friends that don;t even know me!(emails from her friends) This is all really strange.

But wait. I run Norton System Works everyday & run the program that scans for viruses. So wouldn't that catch all of them?? Even the email kind?