pop ups via messenger service

  • Thread starter Thread starter Alan B
  • Start date Start date
A

Alan B

I obviously have an open port in XP Pro that allows grey
pop-up messages from the internet through. How can I
close off unused ports, without using a software firewall
(I am currently on a dial-up connection)? I have the
Windows firewall running but it seems to be next to
useless. Thanks in advance!
 
"AmericanGreyBird" said:
http://www.tweakxp.com/tweakxp/display.asp?id=585
Click to expand...

That link is dead, and the only tweakxp reference I found to messenger spam
suggested disabling the Messenger Service. This is rather like turning up
the car radio because there's a loud rattling noise coming from the engine.
It does nothing to fix the more serious problem, which is that unwanted
packets can be freely sent to your computer. The Messenger Service isn't
the only possible target on your machine. If the other targets are hit,
then rogue messages will be the least of your concerns.

Connected to the Internet, you _need_ a firewall. The Windows firewall
works very well in most instances, unless you're using AOL, which (as usual)
decided to go in a different way, and thus avoid all the useful protective
measures that might normally be available to you.

Contact AOL to find out how to install a firewall properly in their systems
- for others, enabling ICF will work very well to prevent most unwanted
intrusions (including messenger spam).

See
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/howto/communicate/stopspam.asp
for details.

Alun.
~~~~

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"shah" <[email protected]> said:
GO TO CONTROL PANEL >> ADMIN TOOLS>>SERVICES>> MESSENGER [ double click it
and properties and stop the service first and the disable the service .
Click to expand...

As I posted in the very message you replied to, that's not very clever.

All it does is hide the real problem, which is that anybody can send any
packet in to your computer on the NetBIOS and RPC ports (and who knows what
else!) Killing the messenger has never been terribly good policy.

Enable a firewall, as I suggested, leave the messenger service running, and
you get the best solution - no more messages, no more unwanted packets, and
if the worst happens, and your firewall does go south, it'll only be a
matter of moments before you know, because you'll get all that lovely spam
coming in again.

Call me paranoid, but I have to wonder how many of the people that post
suggesting that messenger be disabled are just scared that users will
install firewalls, and their game of hacking other people's machines will
end.

Alun.
~~~~

[Please don't email posters, if a Usenet response is appropriate.]
 
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