Computer Hacker Help

**ponyboy** · 08-11-2003, 08:13 AM

Hey folks,

My psycho ex girlfriend is back in town and is up to her old tricks. She constantly breaks into my email accounts (Hotmail) even though I change my passwords and secret question weekly. She of course then uses my accounts to send messed up emails to friends, current girls, etc. She even came to my house this weekend and keyed up my friends' cars...have no proof because none of the neighbours saw her.

Anyone have any idea how she is getting access to my accounts? Is there a way to break into Hotmail? She is not really computer savvy, so I have a feeling she has someone else doing it. I've even changed accounts, etc. and she still tracks me down. It's getting to the point where it is such a pain I want to get proof that it's her so I can get legal help.

Has anyone even used a private investigator for anything? That's my last resort, but I'm willing to do it if it will put a stop to her. Any input and/or help would be appreciated.

**MtnBikerChk** · 08-11-2003, 08:19 AM

what os are you using? have they compromised your computer? what if you start a new account with yahoo?

**ponyboy** · 08-11-2003, 08:23 AM

I use Windows XP and it is through a dialup connection...there is no way my computer is compromised because it's in my house and none of my passwords, cookies etc. are saved. I tried the Yahoo thing and she still manages to get access somehow.

Would this take the services of a pro? Or is it something anyone can do given enough time and internet knowledge?

**MtnBikerChk** · 08-11-2003, 08:29 AM

I'd find a way to scan my machine anyway.

http://download.com.com/3000-2092-10...ml?tag=lst-2-1 or something similar.

**OceanDude** · 08-11-2003, 08:54 AM

It is not easy to do. Let me ask the obvious question. Did you change the locks on your doors so she can't physically get to your PC? Change your PC login account password. She might be getting access to your PC directly or via some external software she secretly installed before you broke up. Then she is simply using your saved cookies to automatically log on to your Hotmail account.

**ponyboy** · 08-11-2003, 09:08 AM

She now lives in Indiana...I had the locks changed several months ago b/c she did break into the house once using the spare key, so I'm assuming she can't get physical access to the computer. I'm going to check on the spyware thing, because that's always a possibility.

**MtnBikerChk** · 08-11-2003, 09:14 AM

Originally posted by OceanDude
It is not easy to do.

**OceanDude** · 08-11-2003, 09:15 AM

I don's use hot mail much so I am not familiar with their password mechanism. If they do not lock the account after 3 unsuuccessful password attempts it is very easy to use public domain passwword scanning software to exhaustively try different combinations. In time it will find it. You might consider changing your username and also make your password at least 8 characters long with a combination of alpha numeric and special characters that do not spell ANY valid dictionary words.

**OceanDude** · 08-11-2003, 09:25 AM

The other way she could do it is if she knows someone who is on your subnet and who has a network sniffer (available from fre hacker sites). Email account login is amazingly unsecure and passwords often exchange in clear ascii text. Anyone at your ISP or downstream on your subnet can monitor traffic and look for hotmail logins and copy your password off the network. There are a lot of nerds with too much time on their hands that would love to sit around all day and watch the raw data fly back and forth. Do you have any common friends that are perhaps in the same apartment or neighborhod that have moderate computer savvy?

**dymas** · 08-11-2003, 09:28 AM

why not report it to abuse@hotmail.com or simlair?

if you always logon with a dialup account and the same ISP provider hotmail will be able to easily track down IP addresses that don't belong to your dialup ISP. Whether or not they will bother is debatable since it is free/public service...but worth a shot.

I also second what MtnBikerChk said...I would even take it further and format my whole harddrive and reinstall. Spyware is very easy to install on somebody machine. If you have already changed passwords and even got a yahoo account than my feeling is she has some sort of access to your machine.

**oaktownboy** · 08-11-2003, 10:06 AM

pony u should ask Mudge He's a computer whiz.

**Tboy** · 08-11-2003, 10:31 AM

She could be using a keylogger of some sort running on your pc, that could be emailing her log files when you go online.

Some of the "spyware" should be able to find and remove it, if it exists.

**butterfly** · 08-11-2003, 10:53 AM

Here are two free programs you can start with...

Try this progam to kill pop-ups...
http://download.com.com/3000-2144-10...l?tag=lst-0-11

This program removes cookies and spyware programs, etc.
http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/fil...id,7423,00.asp

**MtnBikerChk** · 08-11-2003, 12:05 PM

Originally posted by butterfly
Here are two free programs you can start with...

Try this progam to kill pop-ups...
http://download.com.com/3000-2144-10...l?tag=lst-0-11

This program removes cookies and spyware programs, etc.
http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/fil...id,7423,00.asp

Never heard of the first one and the second one is primarily for ads. get one that says it finds hacker spyware.

**Prince** · 08-11-2003, 12:12 PM

I use this program for scumware: http://www.lavasoftusa.com/support/download

**ZECH** · 08-11-2003, 12:19 PM

I used lavasoft and it worked great!

**butterfly** · 08-11-2003, 01:55 PM

Originally posted by Prince
I use this program for scumware: http://www.lavasoftusa.com/support/download

That's the same thing I posted...

**OceanDude** · 08-11-2003, 02:01 PM

Just get a firewall, turn off all uninitiated service requests both in and out bound. As programs fail due to firewall blocking them you know which ones to enable one by one. If you see one you do not recognize - then delete/uninstall it.

This is how I found out that the old pkzip programs use to phone home. You will be amazed at the number of public domain stuff access the internet like a trojan and does "stuff". Never install a public domain "security" program - these are the ones taht play off your fears and then you help a hacker when you install his "free" security software. Only install Public domain software that is free and has its source code publicily availabile for inspection.

**Mudge** · 08-11-2003, 02:06 PM

Unless she is using a keystroke logger like mentioned, I dont see how she is getting your passwords when you are changing them. Some loggers also have the ability to not display as a running process, making finding them not so easy, this is one thing directory change monitors are nice for.

Run the spyware detector(s) mentioned hopefully that helps. There used to be several stupid backdoors into Hotmail if the other person was checking thier account actively at that time, you could simply follow a simple URL that would let you right in, this was closed long ago, so I suspect spyware or you are using "stupid" password schemata, like Joe1 or something.

Also possible are backdoor programs, but on dial up, hmm not quite as likely, and many AV programs pickup backdoor programs as a virus.

One decent password schemata, is come up with a sentence that means something to you, then take the first letter of each word and use that, you are probably limited to 10-14 characters. Using a non alpha numeric is nice also, like !rdtqdkaz etc. I would not think she is using a brute force method, because there is probably a login limit at the Hotmail server, but one way to seriously slow down brute force attempts is like the above, use mixed characters (and sometimes casing). This is because characters are grouped in the brute force program like, 1) A-Z, 2) A-Z, 0-9, 3) A-Z, 0-9, ~!@#$%%^&*()_+ and so on, so throwing in a character like such helps slow things down. It is even possible they lock you out after a certain # of attempts but I'm not sure.

There are also extended ASCII characters, like º∙╬ and other wierd things, that SOMETIMES can be used but often are not allowed, and you would have to remember how to do them (you use the numpad, and alt in combination).

Anywho, run the anti-spyware stuff and see what happens. I would also take a look at your running process list to see if anything looks fishy, or if you can stretch it out and print the screen, save a snapshot, convert to JPG (sounds like work doesn't it), and post it perhaps someone might pickup on something.

Alt + Printscreen when you select the process list, then paste it to PAINT, try to save as JPG or GIF...

**Mudge** · 08-11-2003, 02:08 PM

Originally posted by OceanDude
This is how I found out that the old pkzip programs use to phone home.

In a way that is shady, but at the same time software MFGs are trying to make sure they are not getting ripped off, but usually the courts seem to side with privacy advocates on that one. This way they can program in the ability to send a shutdown (disable) code to the software if they see an instance of multiple serials etc, I believe however most of that is theory and not currently allowed by law.

**Prince** · 08-11-2003, 02:18 PM

Originally posted by butterfly
That's the same thing I posted...

yeah, but it's better when I post it.

**butterfly** · 08-11-2003, 02:19 PM

Originally posted by Prince
yeah, but it's better when I post it.

Whatever!

**ponyboy** · 08-11-2003, 02:51 PM

Ok...I already had Ad-aware, which I use fairly regularly. I'm going to download an anti-spyware program and see if that can do anything. Thanks for all the awesome responses by the way.

One more question: Is there any way to track the IP address of people who have logged into your account? If I ask Hotmail I don't think they will do it because of privacy issues (as ironic as that sounds). I'd really love to find a way to prove she is accessing my account from another source. If I had access to a list of IP's then I could track them and catch her.

I'd really love to be able to get proof because I also know I'm not the only guy she's done this to. Maybe I can get her charged.

**Mudge** · 08-11-2003, 02:54 PM

New AdAware or old?

Is there any way to track the IP address of people who have logged into your account? If I ask Hotmail I don't think they will do it because of privacy issues (as ironic as that sounds).

Get a court order and they may be able to help.

I used to have an excellent program that would monitor incoming and outgoing connection attempts, I know some software firewalls will do this for you can you can approve or nix the connection attempt.

**ponyboy** · 08-11-2003, 02:57 PM

Originally posted by Mudge
New AdAware or old?

Version 6.0...although it is only the shareware version. Does the full version have any features that may be able to better protect me?

**Pepper** · 08-11-2003, 03:19 PM

If you do a google groups search on hotmail hacks, you will find some interesting theories on how to hack someone's hotmail account.

I did not try any of them.

**Mudge** · 08-11-2003, 03:22 PM

Originally posted by OceanDude
Email account login is amazingly unsecure and passwords often exchange in clear ascii text. Anyone at your ISP or downstream on your subnet can monitor traffic and look for hotmail logins and copy your password off the network.

Earlier on cable was succeptible to this in some areas, I believe now that is closed off though, but if they were using a hub then yes all computers have access to all traffic.

**Mudge** · 08-11-2003, 03:24 PM

Originally posted by ponyboy
Version 6.0...although it is only the shareware version. Does the full version have any features that may be able to better protect me?

I think it has some automated stuff thats about it. I have 6.0 also so I guess your at least fairly up to date, I forget when I got this one though. I also have the latest SP although currently I'm on a 2k box, so windows updates are nice, there is some kind of DoS attack going around right now with DCOM RPC. I had gotten one of these on my home box last week, my home box is not as up to date as work.

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/tre...n/MS03-026.asp

**Mudge** · 08-11-2003, 03:31 PM

It is a worm.

FYI

http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/ven...ster.worm.html

Marc Fossi
Symantec Corp.
www.symantec.com

**Mudge** · 08-11-2003, 05:47 PM

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/tre...n/MS03-026.asp

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