Python spam?

[Gabriel Genellina]

At Monday 4/12/2006 16:27, John Draper wrote:

>I'm ALWAYS getting python spam.... but what worries me, is the spammers
>Know my personal home address, and I NEVER EVER fill out any forms pages
>with my personal info - I think I'm being harrassed by hackers or
>something...

- UserA creates an account on SiteA. They ask for an email address 
for validation purposes, or perhaps they use that email address as 
login name, which is fine so one doesn't have to remember another 
login. So, UserA fills in his Hotmail/Yahoo/whatever email.
- UserA provides the *same* password on the site as used on his email 
address. Which is fine so one doesn't have to remember many passwords.
- Now, SiteA has full access to UserA's address book (and inbox, 
and... but usually they're not interested on that).

Notice that SiteA actually is not "hacking" UserA Hotmail account, 
nor is a virus involved, nothing is installed on UserA's PC, there is 
no vulnerability exploited on Hotmail's code, no 
antivirus/antispyware will help, nothing. It's just UserA silly 
enough to let others know his webmail password.

So if a friend of yours has played the role of UserA above, that's 
how some spammers got your email address.


-- 
Gabriel Genellina
Softlab SRL 

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