pop up spam

  • Thread starter Thread starter Chuck
  • Start date Start date
C

Chuck

Ever since I installed Microsoft 2000 I get at least 10-
15 "security alerts" a day that pop up on my screen no
matter what I am doing. The first tells me that if I want
to avoid these new kind of pop-ups to go
to "Byebyeads.com" and buy their software. When I close
that box I essentially get the same message
from "DefeatMessenger.com". Close that box and I get the
message again from "BroadcastBlocker.com". Sometimes this
box is then followed by porn pop ups. I have Pop Up
Stopper on the computer, McAfee anti virus and I have
downloaded all of Microsoft's updated downloads. What is
it about Microsoft 2000 that allows this and what can I do
to stop it?
 
Chuck said:
Ever since I installed Microsoft 2000 I get at least 10-
15 "security alerts" a day that pop up on my screen no
matter what I am doing.
Click to expand...

For more information on the Messenger service, see Knowledge Base Article
Q168893.

Disable Messenger Service
Click Start > Run and type "services.msc" (no quotes) in the Open: line and
click OK

In the right pane, scroll down to Messenger.

Double click Messenger and click the General tab.

Under Service Status: click the Stop button.

In the Startup Type: drop down box, select Disable.

Click Apply and OK.

Another method to rid your system of this annoyance is to block NetBIOS
ports 135, 137, 138. and 139 through the firewall.

dp
 
For more information on the Messenger service, see Knowledge Base Article
Q168893.

Disable Messenger Service
Click Start > Run and type "services.msc" (no quotes) in the Open: line and
click OK

In the right pane, scroll down to Messenger.

Double click Messenger and click the General tab.

Under Service Status: click the Stop button.

In the Startup Type: drop down box, select Disable.

Click Apply and OK.

Another method to rid your system of this annoyance is to block NetBIOS
ports 135, 137, 138. and 139 through the firewall.

dp
Click to expand...
The OP needs to use BOTH methods. Disabling messenger service on it's
own leaves the ports wide open. It's NOT an "either or" but BOTH.
 
I'd also recommend that you download and install Spybot Search and Destroy,
it's free. Make sure you donate though. You'll be amazed at what you find. I
had this weathercast program that was generating ads based to my
preferences, and Spybot found it.

chris
 
Greetings --

Please stop posting potentially harmful advice. What are you, a
hacker-wannabe? Why else would you be deliberately posting bad
advice? Do you have a vested interest in keeping other people's PC
unsecured? Are you trying to give people a false sense of security by
having them turn off what are, in effect, valid security warnings,
while still leaving their PCs open to potential exploitation?

Disabling the messenger service, by itself, is nothing more than 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're only advise is 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. The home-owner, not immediately seeing
any fire/smoke, complains about the noise of the smoke detector, so
you tell him to remove the smoke detector's battery and go back to
sleep, or whatever else he was doing.

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 you are, replies, "Well,
don't do that."

An essential component of securing a PC against outside attacks,
short of disconnecting it from the Internet, is to install and
*properly* configure a firewall.


Bruce Chambers

--
Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. -- RAH
 
Greetings --

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.
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

--
Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. -- RAH
 
Back
Top