MSN Messenger Contact List Compromised?

Discussion in 'privacy problems' started by get-wiser, Jul 12, 2006.

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  1. get-wiser

    get-wiser Registered Member

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    I use MSN Messenger (7.5) mostly for business. It is the most effective way for example to communicate with the Chinese. I was recently in China and visting one of my suppliers. While there I had to send an urgent message back to the UK my MDAPro battery went dead. My chinese colleague offered me his (obviously without thinking) His MSN messenger was running I was 'floored' when I discovered all of my contact list was included in his! :eek: " What the *&%!" When I asked he smiled and said they must must added me, but ....no way... there are contacts there from family members, etc. Somehow it seems they got into my MSN account. I have a strong password, etc. I run a good firewall and spyware etc. I want to "get wiser"! Any ideas how this could have happened o_O
     
  2. NOD32 user

    NOD32 user Registered Member

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    All I can say is that I hope you don't need to deal with this 'colleague' and his friends for business...

    There are multiple avenues available for this to have happened. IMO the MSN protocol transports way too much info to places it doesn't need to go. There are 'ad-ons' available that for example let anybody type messages as you (with a couple of pre-existing conditions needed only) - mostly marketed at adolescent pranksters but with obvious value to those with other intent.

    Makes more sense to me to treat the commonly used messenger systems as I would writing on a wall - anybody passing could read anything currently posted, anybody writing can choose who they say it's from or to - basically zero security, zero integrity as far as the certainty of content goes. Never discuss anything that must remain confidential or private. As your have seen even you contacts list is not private, much less any messages. Of course in reality it's just a little more complex than that - but only a download away.

    For example, a couple of features from just one such add on here...
    So if security and message integrity are what you're after (as most people would already assume) then IMHO you are really looking for something altogether different.

    Cheers :)
     
    Last edited: Jul 31, 2006
  3. JinxGenius

    JinxGenius Registered Member

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    there can be two explainations:

    One is program's communication program, making a delay loop back and just listing the wrong contacts.

    The other one is a contact logger or something similiar, a keylogger maybe?

    Although you think your password is strong, be if your password was "log" on somewhere, it'll be just like you write it on a paper, it's meaningless already. Thus, human-being's mind is the weakest thing amount technology, machines can "calculate" all possibilities that a human can also think of, what's impossible then?

    No matter how strong, it's most-likely being "logical" so that you can remember it, unless you plan you use that once for all. And machines are just logical-being.....
     
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