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My aunt's computer has started sending e-mail randomly. She called me, but unfortunately I'm not a virus expert.

I told her to stop using Outlook, to disconnect herself from the internet, and to update and run Norton antivirus. Then I told her to call whatever tech support hotline her computer came with.

Have any of you ever heard of a problem like this? Is there anything more she should do?

There are a million and one mass mailers out there. Norton should be able to tell you what it is, but if not, try an online scanner like Housecall (www.trendmicro.com) as they are by and large running off the latest virus definitions.

Once it's identified, look it up on an antivirus vendor's page and you should get instructions to kill it.

Don't forget to tell her to download a copy of Hijack This! and e-mail you the log it generates, and you post it here.

Hijack This!

Get her a Mac.
Seriously. Even an older Mac.
Even if you wouldn't use one yourself, the fact that there are no viruses (and it's easy to use) make it the perfect Aunt/Mother computer.

Praxis wrote:Get her a Mac.
Seriously. Even an older Mac.
Even if you wouldn't use one yourself, the fact that there are no viruses (and it's easy to use) make it the perfect Aunt/Mother computer.

Wow, what a brilliant solution. Maybe she doesn't even want a Mac? Maybe she already has some degree of experience with Windows and would find the transition difficult and frustrating? Maybe she's not looking for a new computer?

There's a catchphrase at Something Awful by the name of "Install Linux, problem solved", and people get banned for it over there because it's a fucking stupid response to a thread like this.

Thanks for the infos. I don't know about Macs (;)), but I'll see if I can get a hijackthis log from her.

Uraniun235 wrote:

Praxis wrote:Get her a Mac.
Seriously. Even an older Mac.
Even if you wouldn't use one yourself, the fact that there are no viruses (and it's easy to use) make it the perfect Aunt/Mother computer.

Wow, what a brilliant solution. Maybe she doesn't even want a Mac? Maybe she already has some degree of experience with Windows and would find the transition difficult and frustrating? Maybe she's not looking for a new computer?

What, are suggestions no longer allowed?

She obviously has little windows experience if she's never had a virus before...LOL

Anyway, did Norton find anything?
Here's what I'd do. Disconnect it for two days. Find out if people are still receiving email from her. If they are, then it's a spammer spoofing her email. If not, she has a virus.

Praxis wrote:What, are suggestions no longer allowed?

Stupid suggestions aren't. Saying "get a mac" in response to someone's computer having a virus is a stupid suggestion.

She obviously has little windows experience if she's never had a virus before...LOL

Never had a virus on Windows and I've used it since Windows 3.0 was new.

Anyway, did Norton find anything?
Here's what I'd do. Disconnect it for two days. Find out if people are still receiving email from her. If they are, then it's a spammer spoofing her email. If not, she has a virus.

Unfortunately, that's not always possible.

If she has a valid copy of Norton, she can call for tech support although they charge per incident. I don't think it is too expensive. Mabye she got hit by whatever virus hit Google today.