A few days ago I started noticing problems with OS X. For example, when I went to double-click something nothing would happen -- except for a pop-up for a menu of options. If I tried to type anything, nothing would appear. The keyboard was basically useless. So I'd reboot and it would go back to normal.
On Saturday it started happening again. This time the problem would return just a few minutes after rebooting. Eventually I had to leave for the day, and left the computer on. When I got home that night, I had quite the surprise..
In my Mail program there were now about 300 messages, and growing every minute. Most of the messages were "undeliverable" notifications. It looked like someone was ghosting my e-mail address to send out spam messages (my address was listed as the originator).
I didn't make the connection between the problems I had earlier with this e-mail problem because, Macs don't get viruses, right?
Then I called my service provider and they claimed that, from what they could tell, the spam messages were in fact coming from my computer.
Normally I used Little Snitch to guard against things like this but recently I turned it off -- only intending for a brief time -- and forgot to turn it back on. Did a program find a hole? What sort of program can do this? More importantly, how can I find it and get rid of it?
Hmm. Does sound like something nasty is happening. It may not be a virus though. Any chance that somebody would have had remote access to your system? E.g. Remote desktop, SSH, any other server running (e.g. Apache with a PHP hole)?
Are you behind a firewall device?
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It sounds more to me like a stuck right mouse button (bringing up the contextual menu) or a software glitch that is making a stuck right click off of a left (or only) button click.
Possibly leaving the machine on with Mail open inadvertently Sent Mail or Forwarded mail automatically?
It would help if you gave us more details _ What machine, What mouse, what version of OSX, what is a sample of the mail bounce, do you have any third party mouse software or haxies installed, etc etc.
It sounds more to me like a stuck right mouse button (bringing up the contextual menu) or a software glitch that is making a stuck right click off of a left (or only) button click.
I have the older Apple mouse. Single click.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CanadaRAM
Possibly leaving the machine on with Mail open inadvertently Sent Mail or Forwarded mail automatically?
Nothing in my "Sent" folder though, if that's what you mean
Quote:
Originally Posted by CanadaRAM
It would help if you gave us more details _ What machine, What mouse, what version of OSX, what is a sample of the mail bounce, do you have any third party mouse software or haxies installed, etc etc.
G4 1.25 MHZ -- last of the "wind tunnel" machines
Original single-click mouse
Mac OS 10.5
(no sample at this time as I'm at work and not at home)
No third party mouse software or haxies installed.
And, for the other question, I'll have to check my firewall settings when I get home. I just use what's available on OS X.
Optionally, stuck Control key on the keyboard then.
Can you borrow a known-good mouse and keyboard for a while?
The strange thing is, if I keep my Mail program closed, everything stays fine. That's why I'm wondering about the connection with all the spam e-mails being sent from my address.
Since I updated the last Firmware I have had this problem: (and it just happened). Sometimes it's waking up from sleep (but not always), but my mouse will be dead and so will my keyboard. I unplug and then replug my mouse and it will work (plugged into my keyboard). But my keyboard will still be dead, until I replug it, then it will work again. Is that what is happening with your computer? It's friggin' frustrating.
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