Messenger Service

  • Thread starter Thread starter Masamune Demon
  • Start date Start date
M

Masamune Demon

I've come to know that my version of Windows has a built
in Messenger Service. While i am online i recieve
constant popups and ads from various websites. I would
like to know how to stop these or how to get rid of the
messenger service that was built into my Windows 2000
software.
 
Greetings --

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

This type of spam has become quite common over the past several
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 Blaster Worm that
recently swept cross 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" the security gap represented by these messages 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?


Bruce Chambers

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having both at once. -- RAH
 
Hi Bruce,

I guess I'm confused by your argument that disabling the
service is not really securing that machine.
I agree that you must keep machines patched and that a
firewall is essential, but one of the keys to good
security is disabling services that are not required for
the operation of your machine or applications, this is one
reason why in Windows Server 2003 many services are
disabled by deafult.

The fewer services you have running on your machine, the
less exposure you have to potential security holes that
may be contained in those services, so by disabling the
Messenger service, for example, you would not recieve the
annoying pop ups, but you would also not be at risk for
the security hole in it that was announced on October 15th.
 
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