Email Attack

How do I know if someone is hacking into my email messages, sent and received? Someone seems to know my whereabouts when the only possible source is email. I have installed the free download of ZoneAlarm and Pest Patrol. MSN is my ISP. MSN techserv says to change my password, but if you can hack into one, I figure, you can hack into the next one. I notice the Z. Alarm "equalizer" bar goes into motion when it is opening Outlook Express 6.0. My enemy is not particularly bright himself but may have police knowledge, definitely insider info. Any help would be most apprediated. Thanks.

First off all, do change your password. It's not cause some1 can get one that you don't have to change the password. Do change it, it will give you some time, cause the other1 has to search for the new password. use a strong password like for instance Y?1q4Sdf! if possible.

Next step: don't use Outlook Express

Third step: ZoneAlarm does not protect you for e-mail problems, get a good virusscanner.

4th step: if you are surfing through a proxy / webcluster / webcache (for instance from your company etc...) it is possible for the admin to read ALL your messages or filter ALL the packages you send. So if you care about your info, encrypt your messages. Use Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) to do that. You can search this site to find out more about this tool. The thread about anomymity by Ennis mentions PGP too.
here's the link to PGP United States: http://www.pgp.com/
here's the link to PGP International: http://www.pgpi.org/
surf to their mail encryption products... ;)

Talking about PGP, use a 'secure' version such as 2.6.3i (Dos based) or any open-source ones such as GnuPGP. Not that I don't trust the software but god knows how powerful the US can be...

Thank you for your replies. If I eliminate all "pests" as defined by PestPatrol with Ontrack, which I have installed, will that help protect my email? I already have Norton Antivirus 2000, which may be doing some good - I never have hard drive problems - but it doesn't seem to secure my email. If I want to keep MSN as my email address, what superior alternative is there to Outlook Express? Also, my preliminary understanding of encryption (the MSN variety) is that it is cumbersome. Is PGP faster and simpler to use? Thanks.