# Has Someone Hacked Hotmail? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 3, 2006, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-someone-hacked-hotmail/359293 "2006-06-03T16:09:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2006, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-someone-hacked-hotmail/359293/1 "2006-06-03T16:09:04Z")
(Obviously not, or someone else would have mentioned it.) For the last 36 hours, when I smash my Hotmail button, I get a little Japanese-looking cartoon in the upper left corner of a white screen. I presume this is some sort of hacker tagging. Now remember: 1. I am using some sort of open server that everyone in Saudi Arabia must use. 2. Because of this I choose to enter my name and password for each Hotmail experience. I cannot even get to the sign-in screen. 3. Please limit yourself to one blue book. More odd Saudi stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2006, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-someone-hacked-hotmail/359293/2 "2006-06-03T17:21:57Z")
> [@Paul in Saudi](#): > > (Obviously not, or someone else would have mentioned it.) > > For the last 36 hours, when I smash my Hotmail button, I get a little Japanese-looking cartoon in the upper left corner of a white screen. I presume this is some sort of hacker tagging. > > Now remember: > > 1. I am using some sort of open server that everyone in Saudi Arabia must use. > 2. Because of this I choose to enter my name and password for each Hotmail experience. I cannot even get to the sign-in screen. FWIW, It’s working fine for me, and I’m not seeing any news about Hotmail being hacked. > [@](#): > > 1. Please limit yourself to one blue book. What does this part mean? ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2006, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-someone-hacked-hotmail/359293/3 "2006-06-03T17:39:41Z")
> [@](#): > > 1. Please limit yourself to one blue book. > [@Do Not Taunt](#): > > What does this part mean? I believe it means, “please keep your answers short.” “Blue books” are little stapled composition books with, say, 16 blank ruled pages inside. They are frequently used for essay tests in college courses. Hence, limiting yourself to only one blue book would keep your essay of a reasonable length. ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2006, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-someone-hacked-hotmail/359293/4 "2006-06-03T17:45:57Z")
> [@toadspittle](#): > > I believe it means, “please keep your answers short.” > > “Blue books” are little stapled composition books with, say, 16 blank ruled pages inside. They are frequently used for essay tests in college courses. Hence, limiting yourself to only one blue book would keep your essay of a reasonable length. Ah, thank you. Ignorance fought and self limited. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2006, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-someone-hacked-hotmail/359293/5 "2006-06-03T18:10:08Z")
Here’s a direct link to the hotmail login gateway: [http://login.live.com/login.srf?id=2&svc=mail](http://login.live.com/login.srf?id=2&svc=mail) Not sure if it will help, but it’s worth a try. ---
**Author:** ![Khampelf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Khampelf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khampelf)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-someone-hacked-hotmail/359293/6 "2006-06-04T00:35:59Z")
I used Hotmail this morning about 11am Arizona time and noticed nothing unusual. But what exactly does ‘unusual’ mean, when using Hotmail? Is one using the Beta test, or the ‘normal’ Hotmail? In order to answer these questions, we must… Sorry, ‘Blue Book’ kicked in old reflexes, Hotmail’s fine, it’s just you, Paul. Or else they got the hack fixed post haste, which is very likely, actually. Wish I’d seen it. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-someone-hacked-hotmail/359293/7 "2006-06-04T02:55:56Z")
Good morning all, How very, very odd. When I hit my bookmark for Hotmail, I still get redirected to the same cartoon. When I use Q.E.D.'s link, I get to Hotmail just fine. So, problem solved. Still it is one of those odd things that seems to have no explanation. What the heck happened? Thank you all very much. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-someone-hacked-hotmail/359293/8 "2006-06-04T11:41:35Z")
You got spyware/malware/adware dude. _ **Do not** _ click on the cute little cartoon, if you don’t want 30 jillion pop-up windows to appear. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-someone-hacked-hotmail/359293/9 "2006-06-04T20:14:25Z")
What do you mean by #1? If it’s some sort of Saudi national proxy, that could have been hacked without affecting the actual Hotmail site. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-someone-hacked-hotmail/359293/10 "2006-06-05T02:32:55Z")
I doubt it is malware, if for no other reason than I am running a Mac. As for Number One, I mean to say that everyone in Saudi Arabia goes through a single server, and that server is censored. It is possible, I suppose for that server to be hacked. Given my lack of a technical background, I hope that is clearer. ---
**Author:** ![Electronic\_Chaos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Electronic\_Chaos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electronic_Chaos)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-someone-hacked-hotmail/359293/11 "2006-06-05T04:38:51Z")
Do you have anybody near you you can ask to bring up Hotmail? Also, could you copy and paste the URL that the cartoon takes you to (breaking it up so it’s not a direct link)? Or at least copy and paste the location of the picture? ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-someone-hacked-hotmail/359293/12 "2006-06-05T13:05:00Z")
When I smash my Hotmail bookmark, Safari goes to some site or another (very quickly) and comes back with [Hotmail](http://www.hotmail.com/) in the browser window, but displaying a file called ‘Vegeta18.gif 80x80 pixels.’ ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-someone-hacked-hotmail/359293/13 "2006-06-05T14:13:32Z")
Hotmail had been running fine for me, until I read this thread now I can’t get to it. Thanks Paul. ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-someone-hacked-hotmail/359293/14 "2006-06-05T14:35:47Z")
You’re being redirected somehow. Does the URL in Safari’s location bar say “[hotmail.com](http://hotmail.com)”? I’m not sure how to do it in Safari but in Opera you can right-click the image and grab the absolute URL of the image. Perhaps you can do that and get some clues. Also, view the source for that page and post it here in a “code” tag. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-someone-hacked-hotmail/359293/15 "2006-06-05T15:21:59Z")
(Thanks Seven for all the hand-holding.) When I hit my bookmark, the address bar says ‘[http://hotmail](http://hotmail) and stuff’ then it pops very very quickly to some other address, which I cannot capture, then it downloads the image and the address bar goes back to Hotmail. In the Safari frame, above the address bar, it tells me the name of the file I am looking at (‘Vegeta18 and stiff’). When I control-click, in Safari I can capture the image’s URL address. (Or so the contextual menu tells me.) So I control click and nothing seems to happen. Where did the supposed URL go? It is heck being old and confused by technology. ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-someone-hacked-hotmail/359293/16 "2006-06-06T05:33:16Z")
Crazy Paul. Perhaps it’s not a redirect but a replaced bookmark. I’ll have to look and see if that’s do-able in Safari. If I find something I’ll let you know. _shrugs_ Delete the bookmark and make a new one I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-someone-hacked-hotmail/359293/17 "2006-06-06T05:53:26Z")
Paul: Looks like there are some issues with Safari which Apple has released fixes for - [http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303382](http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303382) I don’t know if these are related to your issue, but if you haven’t done the upgrades you might want to.