Spam Sent from Hotmail, but Account Not Hacked

[MikhailCompo]

My partners Hotmail account keeps sending emails to her contacts list with URLs - SPAM in other words.

This keeps happening, even though her account has NOT been hacked.  Many of her contacts are work related and this is a real problem for her.

After the first occasion with my help she setup two factor authentication, and her password has never been changed without her knowledge. The emails do not appear in her sent items.

So how is it someone keeps sending emails as her, to her contacts, and how can we stop it?

Thanks all

[SuperDave]

Her account has been hacked. She should change her password and make it a strong alpha/numeric password.

[MikhailCompo]

Sorry Dave, but I think you are wrong.

She reset her password to a strong password after the first time (uppercase lowercase number special characters). How would someone hack an account that has two factor authentication?

[BC_Programmer]

Sorry Dave, but I think you are wrong.

She reset her password to a strong password after the first time (uppercase lowercase number special characters). How would someone hack an account that has two factor authentication?

Accounts are "hacked" by figuring out the password. 2-factor authentication does absolutely nothing to prevent this because the password is usually acquired through a malware infection. Keyloggers can acquire both the E-mail address and password, and they can also determine and send back any saved passwords in most major browsers.

2-Factor authentication is only used for logging into webmail. IMAP outgoing servers cannot use 2-factor authentication because then they wouldn't be IMAP servers. Additionally, by controlling a piece of software on the users machine (the trojan) a person can easily just send the E-mail from their machine.

TL;DR: It's a malware infection.

[SuperDave]

We can run some scans to make sure the computer is clean then we take it from there.

Please download AdwCleaner by Xplode onto your Desktop.

Before starting AdwCleaner, close all open programs and internet browsers, then double-click on the AdwCleaner icon.

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If Windows prompts you as to whether or not you wish to run AdwCleaner, please allow it to run.
When the AdwCleaner program will open, click on the Scan button as shown below.

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AdwCleaner will now start to search for malicious files that may be installed on your computer.
To remove the files that were detected in the previous step, please click on the Clean button.

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AdwCleaner will now prompt you to save any open files or data as the program will need to reboot the computer. Please do so and then click on the OK button. AdwCleaner will now delete all detected adware from your computer. When it is done it will display an alert that explains what PUPs (Potentially Unwanted Programs) and Adware are. Please read through this information and then press the OK button. You will now be presented with an alert that states AdwCleaner needs to reboot your computer.
Please click on the OK button to allow AdwCleaner reboot your computer.A log will be produced. Please copy and paste this log in your next reply.
************************************************
Please download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware from here.
Double Click mbam-setup.exe to install the application.

• Make sure a checkmark is placed next to Update Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware and Launch Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, then click Finish.
  
• If an update is found, it will download and install the latest version.
• Once the program has loaded, select "Perform Full Scan", then click Scan.
  
• The scan may take some time to finish,so please be patient.
• When the scan is complete, click OK, then Show Results to view the results.
• Make sure that everything is checked, and click Remove Selected.
  
• When disinfection is completed, a log will open in Notepad and you may be prompted to Restart. (See Extra Note)
• Please save the log to a location you will remember.
• The log is automatically saved by MBAM and can be viewed by clicking the Logs tab in MBAM.
• Copy and paste the entire report in your next reply.

Extra Note:

If MBAM encounters a file that is difficult to remove,you will be presented with 1 of 2 prompts,click OK to either and let MBAM proceed with the disinfection process. If asked to restart the computer, please do so immediately.
*************************************************
Please download Junkware Removal Tool to your desktop.

•Warning! Once the scan is complete JRT will shut down your browser with NO warning.

•Shut down your protection software now to avoid potential conflicts.

•Temporarily disable your Antivirus and any Antispyware real time protection before performing a scan. Click this link to see a list of security programs that should be disabled and how to disable them.

•Run the tool by double-clicking it. If you are using Windows Vista or Windows 7, right-click JRT and select Run as Administrator

•The tool will open and start scanning your system.

•Please be patient as this can take a while to complete depending on your system's specifications.

•On completion, a log (JRT.txt) is saved to your desktop and will automatically open.

•Copy and Paste the JRT.txt log into your next message.

[camerongray]

Microsoft SELL to SPAM hackers all of your contact lists and then SELL you the software to prevent this occurring. Recently purchased a Luma 1020 running Win8. You MUST have a Outlook Account and MUST upload all of your contacts details including email address and phone numbers. More data for Microsoft to sell. I closed my Hotmail account 5 years ago, because that is the ONLY way to prevent SPAM being sent to all your contacts as if it came from you. Got an email today from someone else's Hotmail account. BIG BILL needs the revenue streams to fund his works of supererogation.

• This thread hasn't been posted in in almost a month.
• You have absolutely no evidence for what you are claiming.

[BC_Programmer]

Microsoft SELL to SPAM hackers all of your contact lists and then SELL you the software to prevent this occurring.

Almost everybody uses their E-mail address to sign up for stuff. Most sites that take an E-mail address will sell it to third parties. Microsoft doesn't sell any products for Anti-malware/spyware purposes.

Recently purchased a Luma 1020 running Win8. You MUST have a Outlook Account and MUST upload all of your contacts details including email address and phone numbers.

This is false.

because that is the ONLY way to prevent SPAM being sent to all your contacts as if it came from you. Got an email today from someone else's Hotmail account.

E-mails can be dead-simple to compromise. People use easily predictable passwords or select poor security questions- (There are only so many flavours of ice cream), or their machine get's infected.

BIG BILL needs the revenue streams to fund his works of supererogation.

This expresses a strong ignorance in the area of how corporations and organizations work.