Recently, I have been receiving popups from Internet Explorer, which
overlay other screens - even when I am not using IE to connect to the
internet. This is very intrusive.

How can I stop this without permanently preventing IE from access at any
time? I have done something with my my Firewall (Norton) which has
stopped the popups but also stopped IE from working.

Cheers,

AB

Greetings --

There are at least three varieties of pop-ups, and the solutions
vary accordingly. Which specific type(s) is troubling you?

1) 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...B;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/p...e/stopspam.asp

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

Whichever firewall you decide upon, be sure to ensure
UDP ports 135, 137, and 138 and TCP ports 135, 139, and 445 are _all_
blocked. You may also disable Inbound NetBIOS (NetBIOS over TCP/IP).
You'll have to follow the instructions from firewall's manufacturer
for the specific steps.

You can test your firewall at:

Symantec Security Check
http://security.symantec.com/ssc/vr_...BYNCJEIMXQKCDT

Gibson Research Corporation Home Page
https://grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2

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?

2) For regular Internet pop-ups, you might try the free 12Ghosts
Popup-killer from http://12ghosts.com/ghosts/popup.htm, Pop-Up Stopper
from http://www.panicware.com/, or the Google Toolbar from
http://toolbar.google.com/, which is what I use.

3) To deal with pop-ups caused by any sort of "adware" and/or
"spyware,"such as Gator, Comet Cursors, Xupiter, Bonzai Buddy, or
KaZaA, and their remnants, that you've deliberately (but without
understanding the consequences) installed, two products that are
quite effective (at finding and removing this type of scumware) are
Ad-Aware from www.lavasoft.de and SpyBot Search & Destroy from
http://security.kolla.de/. Both have free versions. It's even
possible to use SpyBot Search & Destroy to "immunize" your system
against most future intrusions. I use both and generally perform
manual scans every week or so to clean out cookies, etc.


Bruce Chambers

--
Help us help you:
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

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


"AB" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:N_QLb.77$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Recently, I have been receiving popups from Internet Explorer, which
> overlay other screens - even when I am not using IE to connect to
the
> internet. This is very intrusive.
>
> How can I stop this without permanently preventing IE from access at
any
> time? I have done something with my my Firewall (Norton) which has
> stopped the popups but also stopped IE from working.
>
> Cheers,
>
> AB
>

Bruce,

Thank you very much for your detailed reply.

I have printed it out, and will go through it carefully tomorrow.

Much appreciated.

Andrew

Bruce Chambers wrote:
> Greetings --
>
> There are at least three varieties of pop-ups, and the solutions
> vary accordingly. Which specific type(s) is troubling you?
>
> 1) 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...B;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/p...e/stopspam.asp
>
> Blocking Ads, Parasites, and Hijackers with a Hosts File
> http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm
>
> Whichever firewall you decide upon, be sure to ensure
> UDP ports 135, 137, and 138 and TCP ports 135, 139, and 445 are _all_
> blocked. You may also disable Inbound NetBIOS (NetBIOS over TCP/IP).
> You'll have to follow the instructions from firewall's manufacturer
> for the specific steps.
>
> You can test your firewall at:
>
> Symantec Security Check
> http://security.symantec.com/ssc/vr_...BYNCJEIMXQKCDT
>
> Gibson Research Corporation Home Page
> https://grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2
>
> 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?
>
> 2) For regular Internet pop-ups, you might try the free 12Ghosts
> Popup-killer from http://12ghosts.com/ghosts/popup.htm, Pop-Up Stopper
> from http://www.panicware.com/, or the Google Toolbar from
> http://toolbar.google.com/, which is what I use.
>
> 3) To deal with pop-ups caused by any sort of "adware" and/or
> "spyware,"such as Gator, Comet Cursors, Xupiter, Bonzai Buddy, or
> KaZaA, and their remnants, that you've deliberately (but without
> understanding the consequences) installed, two products that are
> quite effective (at finding and removing this type of scumware) are
> Ad-Aware from www.lavasoft.de and SpyBot Search & Destroy from
> http://security.kolla.de/. Both have free versions. It's even
> possible to use SpyBot Search & Destroy to "immunize" your system
> against most future intrusions. I use both and generally perform
> manual scans every week or so to clean out cookies, etc.
>
>
> Bruce Chambers
>
> --
> Help us help you:
> http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
> http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
>
> You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
> having both at once. -- RAH
>
>
> "AB" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:N_QLb.77$(E-Mail Removed)...
>
>>Recently, I have been receiving popups from Internet Explorer, which
>>overlay other screens - even when I am not using IE to connect to
>
> the
>
>>internet. This is very intrusive.
>>
>>How can I stop this without permanently preventing IE from access at
>
> any
>
>>time? I have done something with my my Firewall (Norton) which has
>>stopped the popups but also stopped IE from working.
>>
>>Cheers,
>>
>>AB
>>
>
>
>

Bruce,

Thank you very much for your detailed reply.

I have printed it out, and will go through it carefully tomorrow.

Much appreciated.

Andrew

Bruce Chambers wrote:

> Greetings --
>
> There are at least three varieties of pop-ups, and the solutions
> vary accordingly. Which specific type(s) is troubling you?
>
> 1) 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...B;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/p...e/stopspam.asp
>
> Blocking Ads, Parasites, and Hijackers with a Hosts File
> http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm
>
> Whichever firewall you decide upon, be sure to ensure
> UDP ports 135, 137, and 138 and TCP ports 135, 139, and 445 are _all_
> blocked. You may also disable Inbound NetBIOS (NetBIOS over TCP/IP).
> You'll have to follow the instructions from firewall's manufacturer
> for the specific steps.
>
> You can test your firewall at:
>
> Symantec Security Check
> http://security.symantec.com/ssc/vr_...BYNCJEIMXQKCDT
>
> Gibson Research Corporation Home Page
> https://grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2
>
> 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?
>
> 2) For regular Internet pop-ups, you might try the free 12Ghosts
> Popup-killer from http://12ghosts.com/ghosts/popup.htm, Pop-Up Stopper
> from http://www.panicware.com/, or the Google Toolbar from
> http://toolbar.google.com/, which is what I use.
>
> 3) To deal with pop-ups caused by any sort of "adware" and/or
> "spyware,"such as Gator, Comet Cursors, Xupiter, Bonzai Buddy, or
> KaZaA, and their remnants, that you've deliberately (but without
> understanding the consequences) installed, two products that are
> quite effective (at finding and removing this type of scumware) are
> Ad-Aware from www.lavasoft.de and SpyBot Search & Destroy from
> http://security.kolla.de/. Both have free versions. It's even
> possible to use SpyBot Search & Destroy to "immunize" your system
> against most future intrusions. I use both and generally perform
> manual scans every week or so to clean out cookies, etc.
>
>
> Bruce Chambers
>
> --
> Help us help you:
> http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
> http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
>
> You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
> having both at once. -- RAH
>
>
> "AB" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:N_QLb.77$(E-Mail Removed)...
>
>>Recently, I have been receiving popups from Internet Explorer, which
>>overlay other screens - even when I am not using IE to connect to
>
> the
>
>>internet. This is very intrusive.
>>
>>How can I stop this without permanently preventing IE from access at
>
> any
>
>>time? I have done something with my my Firewall (Norton) which has
>>stopped the popups but also stopped IE from working.
>>
>>Cheers,
>>
>>AB
>>
>
>
>

>Bruce Chambers wrote:
>> 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?

Oh, and don't forget that the Messenger Service would also provide a
useful service to hackers if it is not patched:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/tre...n/ms03-043.asp

Setup a firewall first, but if you don't need the Messenger Service,
turn it off. If you need it, patch it. You would also be well
advised to spend $50 and buy a home router.

Be especially wary of people who would insist on having you keep the
Messenger Service on as a "helpful feature" and conveniently
forgetting to inform you that it has a very serious vulnerability that
needs to be patched immediately.

And of particular interest is that Microsoft itself and security
experts are seriously reconsidering the role of the Messenger service:

http://www.infoworld.com/article/03/...ngeroff_1.html

http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/...110703X,00.asp

http://news.com.com/2100-7355_3-5095935.html

http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/interne...eut/index.html


Here's a link where Microsoft actually outright advises the user to
turn off the Messenger Service:

http://www.microsoft.com/WindowsXP/p...e/stopspam.asp


Those who would advise not to turn off the Messenger Service for the
less than trivial unintended side benefit of being a warning is
dispensing advice which contradicts the advice of many real security
professionals.




---------------------------------------
What could possibly go wrong?