[invaderzog]

I saw that there was a closed thread about this.

I can't post the link because I am new, but the thread ID is: 200922

I want to report the same thing. I am also an IT professional who creates unique email addresses on my mail server for various businesses. I stopped being a DirecTV customer years ago and the mailbox didn't get any activity until February. Since then, I have gotten a significant number of virus emails sent to that address.

It seems highly likely that this represents a breach in DirecTV's security.

I'm not sure who or how to report this to DirecTV. Customer Service Agents were (understandably) unable to route my call to corporate IT/security.

 

[wahooq]

Dude...seriously? that was like 4 months ago and nothing ever became of it

 

[invaderzog]

When you say, "nothing ever came of it", do you mean that attempts were made to contact DirecTV and they ignored it?

I sent an email to their Fraud Division requesting that the email be forwarded to their IT Security group, but I'm mostly expecting to be ignored.

If that's the case, then perhaps it might be time to see if anyone in the media cares.

 

[dpeters11]

I haven't looked at that thread sine it's closure, but i do remember it. You can certainly try it, but I doubt it. Spam is too mundane and too many other possibilities other than their address list being hacked.

I don't even try to fight spam anymore. If it goes in the spam filter fine. If not, I mark as spam and move on.

 

[invaderzog]

I haven't looked at that thread sine it's closure, but i do remember it. You can certainly try it, but I doubt it. Spam is too mundane and too many other possibilities other than their address list being hacked.

I don't even try to fight spam anymore. If it goes in the spam filter fine. If not, I mark as spam and move on.

Spam may be mundane, but having your customer database compromised is not. I don't care much about the spam. It is a unique email address and I just shut it off. My personal problem is solved.

Given that we have multiple reports of people who have issued a UNIQUE email address to DirecTV and found that they started to getting non-DirecTV emails there within the last few months (and never before), I think that this is strong evidence.

The simplest explanation is that someone got into the DirecTV.com account database and distributed it earlier this year. I'd challenge anyone to come up with a reasonable alternate explanation for the evidence

 

[Drew2k]

I'm sorry you are seeing viruses, but that's not proof that DIRECTV's database was compromised.

 

[invaderzog]

Did you miss the part where I created a UNIQUE email address that was only ever given to DirecTV. I never received anything that wasn't from DirecTV until earlier this year. Someone else reported the same thing. Explain that

 

[Drew2k]

Didn't miss it. It's still not proof that DIRECTV's database was compromised. It's a very very serious charge but it's not substantiated.

 

[spartanstew]

Did you miss the part where I created a UNIQUE email address that was only ever given to DirecTV. I never received anything that wasn't from DirecTV until earlier this year. Someone else reported the same thing. Explain that

I created Email addresses for my sons several years ago, so they would have them when they got older (with their name in them).

Those Email addresses have never been used, but I log on to check them every 6 months or so and there's almost always some spam.

Explain that.

 

[wallfishman]

I created Email addresses for my sons several years ago, so they would have them when they got older (with their name in them).

Those Email addresses have never been used, but I log on to check them every 6 months or so and there's almost always some spam.

Explain that.

This whole Fng planet has been compromised. maybe its those chinese hackers we keep hearing about

 

[inf0z]

I saw that there was a closed thread about this.

I can't post the link because I am new, but the thread ID is: 200922

I want to report the same thing. I am also an IT professional who creates unique email addresses on my mail server for various businesses. I stopped being a DirecTV customer years ago and the mailbox didn't get any activity until February. Since then, I have gotten a significant number of virus emails sent to that address.

It seems highly likely that this represents a breach in DirecTV's security.

I'm not sure who or how to report this to DirecTV. Customer Service Agents were (understandably) unable to route my call to corporate IT/security.

You're ruling out the possibility of some one obtaining your email account(s) through the domain that you set up for all of these email accounts.
I'm not saying that it's not possible for this to be related to the D* email compromise, I'm just saying there are other possibilities.

 

[invaderzog]

I agree it is serious. The evidence is strong enough that it should be investigated. Another related explanation is that a "bad apple" who had access to their email address database (i.e. someone in marketing) sold it off on the black market. This isn't "quite" as bad as having the DB compromised, but the end results are effectively similar.

Just to be clear -- I run my own Exchange 2010 server. It's sitting in front of me. There is no way to get a list of my valid email addresses -- and if someone did compromise my server, it wouldn't be just the DirecTV mailbox and that wouldn't explain the other poster's similar observations.

In any case, this is a consumer discussion board and isn't the appropriate forum. I only started this thread because when a result from it popped as a top result when I started my research. If I don't hear back from DirecTV, I'll take this to a white hat forum.

 

[invaderzog]

I created Email addresses for my sons several years ago, so they would have them when they got older (with their name in them).

Those Email addresses have never been used, but I log on to check them every 6 months or so and there's almost always some spam.

Explain that.

I expect that those email addresses you created were @gmail.com/etc. What you are describing is rather common actually. While the exact mechanism is not clear to me, the major email providers are regularly compromised/brute forced as they are huge targets.

In my case, this is my own private mail server.

 

[Hoosier205]

 

[luckydob]

I expect that those email addresses you created were @gmail.com/etc. What you are describing is rather common actually. While the exact mechanism is not clear to me, the major email providers are regularly compromised/brute forced as they are huge targets.

In my case, this is my own private mail server.

Which is connected to the internet, yes? Which is registered to someone such as godaddy.com? There are two things that could hurt you. Maybe your mail server was hacked and you dont know? Maybe godaddy was compromised? You are only immune if you turn off the internet.

 

[RunnerFL]

I agree it is serious. The evidence is strong enough that it should be investigated. Another related explanation is that a "bad apple" who had access to their email address database (i.e. someone in marketing) sold it off on the black market. This isn't "quite" as bad as having the DB compromised, but the end results are effectively similar.

Just to be clear -- I run my own Exchange 2010 server. It's sitting in front of me. There is no way to get a list of my valid email addresses -- and if someone did compromise my server, it wouldn't be just the DirecTV mailbox and that wouldn't explain the other poster's similar observations.

In any case, this is a consumer discussion board and isn't the appropriate forum. I only started this thread because when a result from it popped as a top result when I started my research. If I don't hear back from DirecTV, I'll take this to a white hat forum.

It's not serious. If you were actually an "IT Professional" you'd know how spam attacks take place. They don't have to find your email address, they just send out emails to random names, most of which don't even make sense.

Not to mention if you were an "IT Professional" you wouldn't use Exchange.

 

[RunnerFL]

In my case, this is my own private mail server.

No matter how private you may think it is, it's not. If someone feels they want to spend their time screwing with you by sending emails to random addresses at your domain they can and will. They don't have to figure anything out or hack anyone's email database.

 

[dpeters11]

It's not serious. If you were actually an "IT Professional" you'd know how spam attacks take place. They don't have to find your email address, they just send out emails to random names, most of which don't even make sense.

Not to mention if you were an "IT Professional" you wouldn't use Exchange.

Hey now, at least its not Lotus Notes or Groupwise

Besides, so many companies use Exchange, it's good to know.

 

[Hoosier205]

Hey now, at least its not Lotus Notes or Groupwise

Besides, so many companies use Exchange, it's good to know.

Many governments use Exchange as well.

 

[dpeters11]

True.

And on email, there honestly is no value to hacking an email database. There is no point. Credit card info etc sure. But email addresses are pretty worthless I'd think.