how they hack you
again, you are hacked by stealing your passport. you are sent a link, it could say anything, "join my group", "help manage this group", "please advertise this group"
when you click the link you are taken to an MSN sign in page, as soon as you sign in, they have your password, and so have your passport, and any groups you manage. the sign in page is a fake, it belongs to the hackers, not msn. it looks exactly the same as the MSN sign in page, nothing to make you suspicious.
and the link may not be sent to you, it could be on any page, in any site, any link you click. but it will lead to what looks like the MSN sign in page.
has this already happened to you?
these hackers are hitting MSN groups everywhere, do you think you've already clicked a link like this? If so, use the links below and change your password, and change your secret question.
what can I do to avoid this?
when the hackers take over a group they will, if possible, ban all the other managers and make themselves manager.
they then change the custom made pages into an advert for their site. this advert contains the 'sign in hack' so if you have clicked a link on one of these adverts, change your passwords, etc.
then they send out group emails, sending the advert for their own group to all of the members. from our group alone they sent out the advert about 10 times. again, if you clicked a link in the advert, change your password, etc.
Because you can't tell the difference between the MSN sign in page, and the 'sign in hack' page, I'd advise everyone to change your password and secret question once a week. then if you have been, or are caught out without realising, you may be lucky enough to beat them to it.
If you are signed into your MSN passport, and are suddenly asked to sign in again, or asked to sign in after clicking a link, ((remember, it could be any link, saying anything)) close the browser window, open a new one, go to the MSN groups/hotmail homepage, and sign in there with the 'sign in' link at the top of the page.
it's impossible to say 'avoid links' because that's how we get from page to page, how we surf the net. so just be aware of the fake sign in, and never sign in anywhere but using the official link.
how do I protect my group?
the hackers can only take your group if they get a manager/asst manager passport.
every manager should have 2 passports within the group, a member passport and an assistant manager passport.
the member passport: make this your main passport. use this for your emails, for posting messages, chat, photo's, checking links within the group, for surfing other sites, joining other sites. still keep the email addy hidden within the group. they may not be able to damage the group by stealing this, but they can damage your name. use the member passport at all times on MSN.
the assistant manager passport: this should be a passport that isn't used for anything but doing 'manager' stuff. deleting messages, banning people, making pages. do not surf with this pass. do not use it to leave messages, upload pics, or chat. never click any links while signed in to it. do not use the email for it. only sign in to it for 'managerial stuff' then sign back out. make sure the email address is hidden, and not the same as the 'group name'
if you do not use it, they should not be able to get it. and if they can't get a manager passport, they can't get your group.
if you follow this advice, the only way to get you to click a link with a manager passport is by sending the link via the 'email managers'. so just remember, don't click any links sent via this method.
Only have 1 full manager in the group: and never use this passport for anything, then if they do get an asst manager passport, they can't ban you all and take the whole group from you.
I've been hacked already
if you have already been hacked by these people, contact MSN and tell them. the group who hacked us using this method have been doing this all over MSN for months. they need to be stopped, so MSN need to be told.
you can contact MSN here
Give them as much detail as you can. where you clicked the 'sign in hack' link, if they stole your group, where did the adverts lead. as much proof as possible will be needed.
keep yourself safe by sticking to the advice above