[FourSeasons]

Hello,

I have encountered a problem which is causing me some distress.
A few years ago my hotmail account was hacked into as I had a very guessable secret question. Fortunately, I was able to recover the password and change the secret question very quickly and get my account back (on another computer so as to avoid keyloggers).
However, the person who hacked into my account also added himself under 2 different accounts to my contact list on Windows Live Messenger during the time he had access to my account.

The first time I reappeared online, the hacker spoke to me and I swiftly blocked and deleted him, I did not however notice the other account he had added to my contact list. The second account he added to the contact list remained lurking unnoticed on my contact list for several years before one day it suddenly appeared online and the contact introduced himself and it turned out to be the same person who had hacked my account but he claimed not to remember me. What I ask is this - is it possible that my account was at danger of being keylogged everytime I logged onto messenger solely from him being on my contact list and not having sent me files - in other words, intercepting all messages etc from the server due to him having had access to my account those years ago even though I changed my password and secret question on another computer? In other words, if he had access to my account once does this mean he could bug it permanently eg by linking it to a server so that he would receive information everytime I might try to change password. Would my firewall (Zone Alarm) stop any odd security items that might arise everytime I logged onto messenger?

Regards.

[lunarlander]

Having your email account broken into usually does not mean the attacker can keylog your machine. If you think he broke into your account due to weak passwords and weak answers to the secret question, then I dont think that attack can keylog your machine as well, as keylogging a machine means the attacker has to attack your machine as well.

I also don't think that being on your contacts list will enable an attacker to eavesdrop on your communications.

What you need is proof that the attacker has intercepted your communications. Unless he reveals to you some evidence that he has eavesdropped on your conversations, you can't confirm that eavesdropping has taken place.

If you really suspect some keylogging or other interception of your communications is taking place, then try scanning with some antispyware programs ( like Webroot Spysweper) If you are really paranoid and have some free time, then reinstall your Windows; that way, you will be sure that you are starting off clean.