Spam Backwash

Why was I sent to this page?

You reported that you received a bounced email for a message that you did not send. This is probably spam backwash.

What is Spam Backwash?

When a computer is infected with a virus, it starts sending out spam to other computers trying to infect them.

For the spam it sends out, it does not use the correct return address (that would make it too easy to find and disable the virus) but rather selects a random entry from the infected user's address book to use for the return address.

When the spam bounces, it does not bounce back to the machine that sent it but to the return address that the virus selected from the infected user's address book. In this case, that would be you!

What can I do to prevent this from happening?

Not much. You could refuse to give out your email address, but how practical is that these days? You can also make sure your email address is never posted on the internet in a usable format. See the secton on Preventing Spam in my Spam FAQ.

Could my computer be infected with a virus?

Yes. So let's rule out that possiblility.

Update your virus definitions and then run a full virus scan.

If the scan does not report anything, then you most likely do not have a virus.

If you have a virus, ask your SysAdmin to help you get rid of it.

I'm also getting lots of annoying pop-ups!

You have picked up some Ad-ware or Spy-ware from the sites you've been browsing.

Download and run Ad-Aware and Spybot to remove the Spy-ware from your system.

After installing, be sure to get the latest updates before running the scan.

Please let your SysAdmin know if you need help.

Updated: Thu Feb 28 17:42:26 PST 2008