Her Hotmail address turns quite un-cool

By STEVE ALEXANDER, Star Tribune

Last update: May 6, 2008 - 6:05 PM

Q&A STEVE ALEXANDER

Q My Hotmail e-mail address has been hijacked. I am getting e-mails from strangers asking to be removed from my mailing list (I don't have one). What can do to stop this?

FAITH MOULIN, EAGAN

A Don't assume those e-mails are legitimate; they might be a "phishing" tactic to get you to click on a malicious Web link.

But if the e-mails are legitimate, one of three things may have happened. Your Hotmail account may have been hijacked by someone who knew or guessed your password. Someone may have "spoofed," or falsified, your e-mail address. Or your computer may have malicious software on it that read the saved Hotmail log-in information on your PC.

First, secure your computer. You should be using a firewall, some antivirus software and some antispyware software.

Run antivirus and antispyware scans. (If you don't have an antispyware program, I recommend downloading the free Spybot -- Search & Destroy, which can be found at www.startribune.com/a4353.)

Secure your Hotmail account: Change the password and any "secret questions" that identify you if you forget your password.

If the problem persists, consider getting a different free e-mail account from Microsoft's Hotmail, Yahoo Mail or Google's Gmail.

Q I have a PC purchased in 2001 that my 4- and 7-year-old kids use to play games on the Internet and to play CD-ROM games. I haven't put any antivirus software on the PC because if it became infected I could just restore it to the factory software settings.

But I do need some Internet filtering software to protect my kids from undesirable online content -- and I need something that doesn't slow down the older PC to the point where it isn't usable. What should I do?

MIKE MCClure, Apple Valley

A It's good to worry about protecting children from unsavory online content. But don't neglect the most basic elements of PC safety: Put antivirus software and a firewall on your aging PC to protect it from misuse that hurts the whole Internet community.

Unprotected, your old PC can be commandeered by hackers and turned into a launching pad for spam, malicious software or attacks on websites.

Running new kid-appropriate filtering software on an old PC can slow it down, so look for a program with minimal memory and processor requirements. You can find a list of Internet filtering programs at www.startribune.com/a4354; some list their PC requirements when you click on the "buy" button (which doesn't obligate you to buy anything).

E-mail your technology questions to tech@startribune.com or write Tech Q&A, 425 Portland Av. S., Minneapolis, MN 55488-0002. Please include a full name, city and phone number.

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