# Hijacked Hotmail login page? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 9, 2004, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hijacked-hotmail-login-page/233255 "2004-03-09T04:45:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2004, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hijacked-hotmail-login-page/233255/1 "2004-03-09T04:45:03Z")
I´ve just noticed something strange when I logged in Hotmail to check my mail, there´s an odd add to the left of the Adress and Password fields, it´s a cheesy add, and it changes when I refresh the window; sure enough doesn´t look like something Hotmail would put there. It has a link to: [http://www.dgm2.com/m/crnew.asp?elid=77153×tamp=3/9/2004](http://www.dgm2.com/m/crnew.asp?elid=77153×tamp=3/9/2004) 4:25:54 AM I didn´t open that and I would suggest no-one does, however I did visit the root adress [www.dgm2.com](http://www.dgm2.com) and it looks very fishy, seems like some kind of provider for ad-ware. Any idea about what´s going on?, is this a problem with Hotmail or just my computer? ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2004, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hijacked-hotmail-login-page/233255/2 "2004-03-09T05:48:50Z")
Your computer has ben infected. You need an anti-virus tool, as well as well as Ad-ware or SpyBot. Once your system is clean, dump IE and go for Mozilla, FireFox or Opera. ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2004, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hijacked-hotmail-login-page/233255/3 "2004-03-09T05:57:19Z")
I already ran Ad-Ware, nothing here; I don´t have an antivirus, I´m very careful about what I open and where I browse so in the last 6 years I only got one virus, wich didn´t last more than 20 minutes anyway… however a few days ago a friend of my brother used the computer to check his e-mail… :mad: Perhaps I´ll try SpyBot too, and see if it catches something. ---
**Author:** ![odd-socks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c67d28/32.png) [@odd-socks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/odd-socks)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2004, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hijacked-hotmail-login-page/233255/4 "2004-03-09T11:35:32Z")
> [@Ale](#): > > …I´m very careful about what I open and where I browse… however a few days ago a friend of my brother used the computer to check his e-mail… :mad: … eh. If I had a £1.00 for everytime I saw someone else infect a machine, I’d be a rich woman! 😉 Adaware or Spybot is a good idea. You can get free virus applications: check out AVG from Grisoft; or, you can run a free online check courtesy of Symantec. ---
**Author:** ![robertliguori](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/46a35a/32.png) [@robertliguori](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robertliguori)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2004, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hijacked-hotmail-login-page/233255/5 "2004-03-09T12:44:30Z")
> [@odd-socks](#): > > eh. If I had a £1.00 for everytime I saw someone else infect a machine, I’d be a rich woman! 😉 > > Adaware or Spybot is a good idea. You can get free virus applications: check out AVG from Grisoft; or, you can run a free online check courtesy of Symantec. Not or, and. There is some spyware that Ad-Aware grabs that Spybot doesn’t, and vice versa. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2004, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hijacked-hotmail-login-page/233255/6 "2004-03-09T13:37:21Z")
You might want to also try [CWShredder](http://www.siena.edu/antivirus/Spyware/CWS.htm). CoolWebSearch (which it cleans) has been extremely aggressive in infecting, and it’s very difficult to remove, even with Ad-Aware or Spybot.