Anyway to prevent Yahoo email hacking?

[crestwood]

My friend received an email she thought it was from Yahoo asking her to verifiy her information -- she said the email looked very legitimate. She did so and then had her address book deleted and everyone in her address book received an email stating that she was in a bad accident and to please send money. Is there anyway to prevent this from happening? Thank you.

[awaj]

In all cases, Facebook, Yahoo, AIM, and other things, if you get something saying that they want to do maintenance, or some clean up and you need to send a message with private information like your password, social security number, debit card, ect, delete, as if they needed the information, it would be on file. change passwords often (I unfortunately don't follow that rule enough...) there isn't too much else you can do

[Sylvander]

1. In Windows I use Mailwasher, and in Puppy Linux I use "SaveMyModem" [smm] to fetch the headers [and some/all of the text content only] of emails that are still on the POP3 servers.
These flag up [SPAM] pretty prominently, and I delete those whilst they are still on the server.
I don't use any other email.

2. I believe Gmail is pretty good at eliminating spam.

3.
(a) I keep [known/good/tested] URL's, and passwords, and usernames, etc...
In an encrypted "Acerose Password Vault.
Use the FREE, portable version, which can be [held anywhere you like (Flash Drive?), and] run by any Windows-like OS that can access it.
e.g. I use WINE run within any of the many Puppy Linux versions I run.
(b) A Puppy can be loaded from a partition on an internal HDD, or a USB Flash Drive, or a "live" optical disk.
(c) All Puppies are effectively immune to infections [they are designed to work in Windows]...
Such problems are practically unknown [I've never seen any report of a Puppy being infected or hacked (me included)].
(d) All I have is the Puppy Linux firewall running [plus a Terminal command issued to not reply to pings], and the NoScript add-on in Firefox, and "SaveMyModem".

[ramosraymond54]

Last year, a worm was able to pass thru my anti virus program. It corrupted my programs and I had to reformat. What is the best anti virus software that you know of today? I now have Avira and Bit Defender. But I am not sure if this is sufficient.
I dont want to have it happen again. Any suggestions?

[mjc]

You are worm...so, I'll show you what to do...

[Sylvander]

1. "Any suggestions?"
(a) At the very least...
Fetch your emails, and browse the web from Within some Puppy Linux.

(b) If you want to be REALLY IMMUNE to long-term infection...
You can either load only from a "live" optical disk...
With no pupsave file...
Or else remaster the optical disk to incorporate the contents of the pupsave file, and then load only the contents of that live disk...
Or else Puppy RamBoot - Everything (including save file) in RAM.

(c) A couple of screenshots of smm are below.

[Paul Komski]

Linux (in any manifestation) is not a protection from getting unsolicited emails or spam.

Phishing attempts (like that which the OP has described) can, in reality, only be circumvented by users being extremely suspicious of any emails from anyone who is not known to them. NEVER NEVER respond to such requests (whether you are accessing your Yahoo Mail from a browser in Windows or Puppy or any other operating system.

The best way I know of to circumvent unsolicited emails and spam is to sign up for something like Gafana. This circumvents robotic mass mailing by the sender having to manually verify they are a real person.

[PrntRhd]

Crestwood,
I am sorry they prey on older users.

Some basic rules on emails:

If you did not expect the email, don't open it.

If it says it is from government agencies or your bank, be especially suspicious because those enitities do not do business with you via email.

If you open it, do not respond back with personal information by following their links.


Sylvander,
Crestwood is a senior citizen and the victimized friend is a similar age, your advice for both of them to learn another OS is not appropriate. Please consider your audience when posting.

[Sylvander]

I am a senior Citizen.

Is this therefore all quite beyond my capabilities?

You see, nobody told me that, and that's why I didn't know not to attempt it.

[Sylvander]

Twinkle is specifically intended for use by "Elderly and New users".

I gave it a try and it worked 1st time.

[Paul Komski]

I think that Sylvander is missing the point.

Firstly, as intimated, Puppy does not protect against spam. Even MAC users get spam.

Secondly, it is not trivial (unless you are a geek) to setup any version of Puppy (however good it is once set-up). I know silver surfers and other non-geeks like my intelligent sister who are completely thown-out by a single change in the layout of say Outlook Express, even though it is still completely functional.

And PrntRhd is completely right. Don't be fooled just because an email looks official and requests information. The more official and the more information requested the more suspicious one should be. It costs little to lift a telephone and ask their support but can cost a great deal to be hacked, phished or have one's identity stolen.

[crestwood]

I really appreciate all of the kind replies but I must admit that I am not a computer savey person and I do not understand what all of the computer lingo means which is referred to in the above replies -- I don't have a clue what a "puppy" is. But thanks again for replying and trying to help me.

[awaj]

Basically, if it asks for a password, social security number, other personal data, delete it. If you have done buisness with the company, and it's a legit website you have an account with, then they don't need to ask for your password to do maintenence. They may ask for permission though. If the email has a whole bunch of spelling mistakes, it is probably spam, unless you know the person. If you aren't expecting an email, and it is labeled strangely like saying "I love you" in the subject, or if there is no subject, delete.

[classicsoftware]

Some Basic Rules:

• If the e-mail has an attachment and you did not expect to receive the e-mail, either delete the e-mail or call the sender to make sure they sent the message.
• If you get a message from your bank, ISP, the IRS or anyone else asking you to click a link to update information, DON'T do it. Either call to confirm or go to the web site on your own and see of there is a something on the web page. By the way, the IRS only communicates by snail mail.
• If you get an e-mail with an attachment, download the attachment and scan with your anti-virus.

These are mostly common sense procedures. If your bank called and said hey we need to update the information, by the way, what's your SS#, you wouldn't give it so don't do it by computer....

[crestwood]

Thanks to all.