Hotmail accounts

[Barmaid]

A friend of mine has suddenly lost a whole load of emails between her and a third party (the third party is currently being investigated by the police). Thankfully, the police have copies of all these emails. They were there the other day and now they have gone.

She had already changed her password when this blew up. How easy is it to hack a hotmail account? Is this what has happened? Or is it likely he has a key stroke logger? She is actually using a different computer (the police have her computer) so how has this happened?

Her biggest concern is that he has access to her personal stuff.

[ChuckFickens]

Depends, if it's a decent, strong, password that was used it's very hard to hack an account but if they used something like a pets name (for example) it would be fairly easy for anyone that knows her to guess the password.

It could also be a key logger, but only if it would it have been possible for the third party to gain local access to the new computer to install a logger? if not then very unlikely.

[squarebear]

Also beware of setting up reminder questions similar to "what is you favourite colour" or "what is your mother's maiden name". Anyone can guess at the colour and anyone who knows you can soon work out your mothers maiden name.

[snags]

If your friend has only 'lost' specific emails between herself and the third party and no others, it does sound like someone has hacked her account.

For the future, have a look at Mozilla Thunderbird: you can link it to your Hotmail account and create automatic back up archives of all your emails...

[ChuckFickens]

Wow my second paragraph really doesn't make much sense :) sure you get the general idea though.

[Barmaid]

I've just got her password out of her and I am fairly sure he can't have guessed that. It is possible he has accessed the house although under the circumstances he would be bloody stupid to have done so.

Thanks all - I'll get her to beef up her security (both house and computer). I've told her to report to hotmail and the police.

[squarebear]

Could he have guessed her secret questions?

[Barmaid]

It's possible squarebear but doesn't the password then get reset? In which case she would not be able to access it until she put in a new password.

[squarebear]

Possibly, i don't use hotmail but I have seen some systems that email you your password if you answer the secret question.

[ChuckFickens]

She might also want to check that the alternative email account is not set to something the third party could get access to.