Problem With Hotmail

[mydrawingtable]

I use hotmail with outlook and this morning I found out that all my mails have gone. I went to hotmail website and tried to lock in my e-mail address but I can't.

Everytime I lock in it shows information as below.

__________________________________________________________

Match The Picture

Help

To continue, type the characters that you see in this picture.

This helps to ensure that a person, and not an automated program, is using this service.

I can't see this picture.

Characters are not case-sensitive

____________________________________________________________

I also use Windows Messenger and it's working.

Here is some information about my computer

Type of operating system (OS). windows xp

Connection type/provider: adsl

Specific site and address: hotmail.

I'm a user not a computer expert.

Thank you very much.

Note. I reported the problem to Hotmail already but I can't wait for their reply as it's now I have about 15 e-mails on the account. (I can see the amount of e-mail from Window Messenger)

[waldwolf]

There is a possibility your email account was used to send SPAM or other "viril" messages. Suggest you run an antivirus/trojan scan on your computer system. In particular, be on the lookout for a "backdoor" trojan.

Were you able to access your Hotmail account, when you typed in the requested characters?

[Steve2UK]

I use hotmail with outlook and this morning I found out that all my mails have gone. I went to hotmail website and tried to lock in my e-mail address but I can't.

Everytime I lock in it shows information as below.

__________________________________________________________

Match The Picture

Help

 

To continue, type the characters that you see in this picture.

   

This helps to ensure that a person, and not an automated program, is using this service.

 

I can't see this picture.

 

Characters are not case-sensitive

____________________________________________________________

I also use Windows Messenger and it's working.

Here is some information about my computer

Type of operating system (OS). windows xp

Connection type/provider: adsl

Specific site and address: hotmail.

I'm a user not a computer expert.

Thank you very much.

Note. I reported the problem to Hotmail already but I can't wait for their reply as it's now I have about 15 e-mails on the account. (I can see the amount of e-mail from Window Messenger)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Are you using Firefox or something other than IE? If you are, there's a discussion about exactly this going on in the Mozillazine Firefox forum:

http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.ph...l+match+picture

Not conclusive, but you might find it useful? Judging by what I read there, if you are using a browser other than IE, it may help to:

a] Delete your Hotmail & MSN-related cookies - then try to log in

or

b] Use IE to log in to Hotmail - if you have it available

or

c] if you can't try b] , there's a link in the 7th message to download "User Agent Switcher" - which makes your non-IE browser look like another flavour.

http://extensionroom.mozdev.org/more-info/useragentswitcher

On a different tack, if you're using .Net Passport etc, there's growing concern about how easy it is for your Hotmail account to be hijacked............

http://www.totse.com/en/hack/hack_attack/165581.html

I don't use MSN/Windows Messenger to check Hotmail - but I do let Yahoo Messenger take me to my Yahoo e-mails. Starting to wonder how safe that is...........although it's usually MS stuff that gets targeted.

[johna]

I had similar problems with hotmail yesterday and had to go through MSN to match the letters and numbers in the picture 3 times before everthing is OK

[bartender100]

Threat Increases For Messenger Worm.

Trend Micro Inc. is just one of the anti-virus vendors to raise the threat level on the W32/Bropia worm.

The virus, which arrives as a seductive download link through MSN Instant Messenger, disables anti-virus software, logs keystrokes and is capable of retrieving credit card numbers and other sensitive information. The W32/Bropia worm contains a variant of the Rbot backdoor Trojan. It is capable of creating a means by which the infected machine can be used to hijack sensitive data.

McAfee has issued an advisory stating that the Trojan contained in Bropia can connect to a remote IRC server and receive remote commands that could range from the launch of denial-of-service attacks to the scanning of local subnets to find unpatched systems. According to their advisory, the double-barreled virus has been programmed to target machines vulnerable to a list of previously reported security flaws.

According to Panda Software, who has also issued an online advisory, Bropia is easy to detect. The very unappetizing worm displays a plumply cooked chicken with tan lines once it has infected a machine.

maybe something to do with this