Spam attack from iMac using Mac OS X Mail app

[Pavy]

It seems to me that my computer is acting like a spammer. The problem is, my Mail app has sent thousands of mails to all of my email address stored in contact list. Recently, I have been plagued by what is termed as a dictionary attack whereby mail has been sent from my email address to hundreds and maybe thousands of recipients. The result is I get a hundred 'mail undelivered to recipient'. I have contacted the ISP but they told me that they can’t help with it. Sometime I can hear sound when the mail app sending an email but actually I am not sending anything. As far as I know that I have maintained all precautions. Often changing network password and firewall stealth mode. Do you have any explanation regarding it?

[GoutamB]

It could be possible but I don’t know how. In Windows system we have previously seen similar kind of issues. The PC which are infected by virus, Trojan, botnet, backdoor and remote login tools might be able to send spams either using your own Email ID or using any other listed in your Contact list. Other than this, system would also able to send number of request to a single location thus causing DDOS attack. This problem is first hearing in Mac. I didn’t think that a Mac could be infected by such kind of serious problem. There is site called Botnetchecker. Just visit that site. You don’t need to do anything over there and no need of installation. Just follow as they suggest.

[DakshaMira]

If mailbox gets something that is not belong (spam so) to advertising, I will surely press the spam button to mark as spam mail. My mail program teaches this, because the spam I get in the inbox is becoming less and spam in the spam is coming more and more. Just so true to indicate that it is spam and not immediately discard without action. Mail must indeed learn. Furthermore, I send the email always returned with the 'return' if one comes in my mailbox. The sender receives an email that the email to me has not arrived. Sometimes this can also help, but sometimes not (you get an email that the shipping address does not exist). Generally I get very little spam and I do not use rules.

[Indudep]

As far as I know that the spammers use a non-existent address or real but totally unrelated to it, then it "bounce" while not going anywhere and in fact is creating major problems of clogging. Even a possible trace back of the server but they are not used much because now it is transmitted mainly through real spam botnets or computers infected with various viruses and Trojans for this purpose. Users are completely unaware of what happens. In practice, the "bounce" is used only when that company that you had inadvertently given your name continues to send all their offerings, even when it no longer makes sense: maybe seeing back, you decide to unsubscribe from their DB.

[Haviva]

The procedure to redirect the e-mail received is slightly different from the procedure for forwarding. When you forward a message, the recipient sees your name in the "From" and the date of submission in the column "Date received". When you redirect an e-mail, the recipient sees the name of the original sender in the From column and the time at which the message was composed in the column "Date received". The redirection of a message is useful when messages is sent to you and want to inadvertently pass it to the intended recipient. When the intended recipient responds, the answer will come to the original sender and not to you. If you forward the message, you may receive a response. In the case of unwanted email (spam), the redirect is the best way to preserve the original contents of the message.