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  • Thread starter Thread starter Beth D.
  • Start date Start date
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Beth D.

My Aunt has recently been receiving Pop-up messages. At
one time I was also receiving these messages and when I
questioned my 'Computer Guy' at work he has me disable
some sort of Microsoft Messanger. I don't remember how I
did it, but does this sound familiar to anyone.
 
To just disable those "Messenger Service" -popups woulb be to treat the
symptoms, not the underlying disease...
So...

_First_, install a firewall (free ones available here and there, Sygate,
ZoneAlarm etc)
Then you can disable the Alerter service. (Start->Run->services.msc,
alerter, dblclick, disable)


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Beth D said:
My Aunt only uses dial-up. Is a firewall necessary.
Click to expand...

Yes. You can use the built-in one that comes with XP, although other
outside recommended ones will do a more thorough job. The comparison
has been made to someone who mostly stays home versus someone out all
the time. When the stay-at-home goes out, she's as much at risk of
catching a cold as anyone else, but for a shorter period. And once
you've got it, you've got it.

I have a dial-up connection and I'm only using the XP firewall. It's
activated very easily by start button \ settings\ control panel \
network settings. Right-click your ISP name \ properties \ advanced.
Put a check in the box, ok, and that's it.

It's also a very good idea to run spyware detection utilities, like
Ad-Aware and Spybot, both freeware.
 
Greetings --

Your "computer guy" provided some very bad advice, and would be
better suited to flipping burgers at McDonalds.

Does the title bar of these pop-ups read "Messenger Service?"

This particular "sales method" is strikingly similar to the
"protection" rackets offered to small businesses by organized
criminals. Yes, it's a scam; no reputable business would need to
resort to extortion. Particularly since they're trying to sell you a
type of protection that is already available to you free of charge.

This type of spam has become quite common over the past few
months, and unintentionally serves as a valid security "alert." It
demonstrates that you haven't been taking sufficient precautions while
connected to the Internet. Your data probably hasn't been compromised
by these specific advertisements, but if you're open to this exploit,
you may well be open to other threats, such as the W32.Blaster.Worm
that recently swept over the Internet. Install and use a decent,
properly configured firewall. (Merely disabling the messenger
service, as some people recommend, only hides the symptom, and does
little or nothing to truly secure your machine.) And ignoring or just
"putting up with" these messages and the problem they represent is
particularly foolish.

Messenger Service of Windows
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;en-us;168893

Messenger Service Window That Contains an Internet Advertisement
Appears
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=330904

Stopping Advertisements with Messenger Service Titles
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/howto/communicate/stopspam.asp

Blocking Ads, Parasites, and Hijackers with a Hosts File
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm

Oh, and be especially wary of people who advise you to do nothing
more than disable the messenger service. Disabling the messenger
service, by itself, is a "head in the sand" approach to computer
security. The real problem is _not_ the messenger service pop-ups;
they're actually providing a useful, if annoying, service by acting as
a security alert. The true problem is the unsecured computer, and
you've been advised to merely turn off the warnings. How is this
helpful?

Equivalent Scenario 1: Somewhere in a house, a small fire starts,
and sets off the smoke alarm. You, not immediately seeing any
fire/smoke, complain about the noise of the smoke detector, and are
advised to remove the smoke detector's battery and go back to sleep.

Equivalent Scenario 2: You over-exert your shoulder at work or
play, causing bursitis. After weeks of annoying and sometimes
excruciating pain whenever you try to reach over your head, you go to
a doctor and say, while demonstrating the motion, "Doc, it hurts when
I do this." The doctor, being as helpful as some of your respondents,
replies, "Well, don't do that."

I'm beginning to think that the people deliberately posting such
bad advice are hacker-wannabes who have no true interest in helping
you secure your system, but would rather give you a false sense of
security while ensuring that your computer is still open to
exploitation.


Bruce Chambers

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