Dodgy e-mail link

I think I've done something stupid. I received an e-mail from someone I know (e-mail address hacked?). It contained a link which I didn't click on but copied into the Firefox browser. It opened up a site selling Viagra. I'm running an AVG scan now and it hasn't picked up on anything dodgy but is there anything else I can do and is it possible it was just a hijacking rather than virus?

Hi LS, My son has just let me know that he has been out for an hour and when he came back loads of emails had been sent from his computer. There seems to be some kind of hacking going on. I also read on another forum about the Viagra emails.

I've had something similar - apologies to anyone on here who got one supposedly from me!

The interesting part is that it must be my Yahoo email account that has been hacked into as I only use web-based email and these definitely came from my Yahoo contacts list. Nothing is actually stored on my computer. I also have a Mac so that narrows it down even further.

I have deleted my Yahoo contact list as a precaution and reported it to Yahoo.

I use Yahoo for my e-mail but I've never put any 'contacts' on it, even 'tho they keep asking me to do so and even go so far as to 'suggest' who should be on my contact list (Presumeably based on number of e-mails I've sent to them)

I think it's a darn cheek especially if they can't keep the lists secure.

TBH If I want to send an e-mail to someone I've already been in touch with I find it easier to just go to his / her last incomming and do 'reply' and delete anything necessary.

I wonder if it is a browser issue, ie. hacking into webmail via a browser? I was using my mother's computer recently and she has a very old version of IE (to match her very old computer).

They would find it a great deal harder to hack into Firefox on my Mac!

That's interesting - the e-mail address is a Yahoo account!

All seems okay anyway - no sign of anything dodgy.

Phew - that'll teach me!

Well these emails are showing up in my Sent messages folder on webmail.... 16 all sent on Friday, to addresses in my contacts, and most likely multiple addresses on all 16. Nothing since then fortunately.

I am sure Yahoo will be able to have a look and trace them, so hopefully the incident is over. I am sure it must have royally peed off the recipients, so I have sent an apology to all the ones I can find. It was only when one bounced & was returned that I realised the scale of what it was doing.

All the emails have odd subjects - someone's name usually, and most of them are French-looking or -sounding.

Yes, this one had someone's name in the title and I think a German word in the text. So now we know - thanks!

I had something similar and I only found out because someone informed me, it was on my hotmail acct, I changed my password and all was well after that, so no idea really, nothing went wrong on my pc (well nothing to do with that, just a dodgy hd!)

You are most welcome

This used to be very commonplace about 10 yrs ago, when "something or someone" would hack into people's Outlook Express on their own computers and do exactly the same, except back then they DID send a virus not just a link to Viagra! Did not affect me ever, as I had Macs back then too.

Which is why I am foaming at the mouth about this now... it's either a browser weakness or Yahoo itself! You would think such a huge global organisation could protect its own members, wouldn't you?