Malware across home networks - help/advice please!

[NotaDisneyMum]

I've been told that some Malware applications, which have been downloaded onto one computer on a home network, can "phish" for information, such as email addresses, on other computers on the same network - is this possible?

When my exH was regularly downloading paid-for porn, myemail inbox used to be full of sex site and sex sale emails; I assumed because he told me it was normal for people to get that level of spam Since we split, and I changed my email address, I've not had any spam of that sort (not even a viagra email!).

The reason I'm asking is because DD (11) has a computer at her Dads and is starting to use email more regularly - is she at risk of getting similar spam emails in her inbox if her Dad is still downloading porn videos?

Basically, if a PC has got malware or viruses on it, then you are at risk of having personal data on your home network intercepted and re-transmitted to a 3rd party.

If your ex has descent anti virus software (on ALL the computers on the network) then the risks are minimised. By descent, I do not mean expensive, since you can get fairly good anti virus software for free (such as AVG Free and AVAST).

Other than the above advice, the biggest thing you can do to minimise spam in your inbox is to never use it for competitions, special offers, etc etc. If you are going to be doing this sort of thing, you should have a "gash" account that you don't mind getting crap sent to you, and keep your normal account for trusted correspondence.

Technodad

minibird69 raises a good point. If you and your ex both had email addresses supplied by your ISP, it is likely that his use of your email address would tarnish yours too.

We both had email addresses from the same ISP (based on a personal domain) but the prefix (before the @) was different; would that make a difference? I imagine that my email address was in his address book though - so would all the addresses in his contacts have been at risk of getting that sort of spam mail?

The thing is, since we split (3 years ago) I haven't changed my internet habits that much (although I have joined MN!), my anti-virus (AVG) and email provider is the same and I still get some spam - but none of it is sex-related, which makes me think that it was the downloads he was buying that were somehow generating that particular type of spam iyswim - I used to get about a dozen Viagra, dating sites, online "chat" and similar emails every day; now, nothing like that at all!

Sadly, although DD has a 50:50 care arrangement, we don't "work together". Our values and parenting is very different and I am sure it is not in DD's best interests, but that's a different thread!. I know I am very worried about his attitude to the internet but he works in IT, so tells me that I am overreacting when I raise my concerns about DD having unsupervised internet access etc.

I think I might have to begin to introduce DD to the concept of "adult" spam email a bit sooner than I had intended - as it seems likely that she will receive some

Depending upon your ISP, if you put an email address with something different before the @, then all account holders will get a copy. This is how these spammers get good hit-rates.

Tell her to get a gmail account (which has built-in spam filters, and not have an account from her dad's ISP, and she should be fine.

The fact since you changed your email address you've had less spam may be more due to the fact it's not yet been farmed out rather than any sex sites your ex may have frequented.

People who send spam will tend you farm lists of email addresses by various means. So unless your ex-H was stupid enough to use your email rather than his then it's unlikely it was a porn site which caused the spam.

I have different emails for different things but my older ones, regardless of use if I look in the spam/trash folder I'll have hundreds of sex/viagra related emails. Whereas the one I use purely as a family calendar won't have any. Only because I don't ever register for sites with the latter. Hope that makes sense.

The thing to bear in mind is that sex sites are not waiting to jump up at your daughter. Parental control software is one way of restricting access to sites but personally I'm a big advocate of parental supervision. And for teenagers....trust.

So if your DD is using her computer at her dad's in a communal place then I'd probably say parental controls is a nice to have. If she's allowed to hide in her room for hours with her PC then I'd be more inclined to suggest software restrictions.