Annoying Messenger Pop-up Adds

[Charles Ritz]

Greetings.

Since I upgraded from Windows 98 to Windows XP, I
frequently receive unsolicited Pop-Up windows with
an annoying message that points me to a site where I
can purchase software (usually for about $ 30) to dis-
able the mentioned Pop-ups.

These Pop-ups occur merely by being connected to the
Internet...I am neither cruising the web nor reading
email when they occur.

I downloaded all available Windows XP patches immediately
after I upgraded (on Saturday, August 30), so I don't
know what I can do to prevent these annoying adds, other
than paying $ 30 to the jerks sending these Pop-ups to
purchase their blocking software.

If anybody out there know how to disable these totally
unsolicited Pop-ups, please send me an email at
(e-mail address removed)

Regards,

Charles Ritz

 

[Bruce Chambers]

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. 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

 

[Larry Samuels MS-MVP XP \(Shell/User\)]

TURN ON the XP firewall
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;283673

HOW TO: Enable or Disable Internet Connection Firewall in Windows XP
The information in this article applies to:
a.. Microsoft Windows XP Professional
b.. Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
This article was previously published under Q283673
IN THIS TASK
a.. SUMMARY
b..
a.. Enable Internet Connection Firewall
b.. Disable Internet Connection Firewall
SUMMARY
Microsoft Windows XP provides Internet security in the form of a firewall,
known as the Internet Connection Firewall (ICF). This feature is designed
for home and small business use and provides protection for computers
directly connected to the Internet. This feature is available for local area
network (LAN) or dial-up connections. It also prevents scanning of ports and
resources (file and printer shares) from external sources. This article
discusses how to enable the Internet Connection Firewall feature to provide
Internet security for your computer. This article also discussed how to
disable the Internet Connection Firewall feature, which may help in
troubleshooting some applications that do not function as expected behind a
firewall.

back to the top

Enable Internet Connection Firewall
The Internet Connection Firewall is useful when you want to protect a
dial-up connection when dialing directly into an Internet service provider
(ISP), or to protect a LAN connection that is connected to an asymmetric
digital subscriber line (ADSL) or cable modem. You can also enable the
Internet Connection Firewall feature on the Internet connection of an ICS
host computer to provide protection to the ICS host computer.

To enable Internet Connection Firewall feature using the Network Setup
Wizard:
1.. Run the Network Setup Wizard. To access this wizard, point to Control
Panel, double-click Network and Internet Connections, and then click Setup
or change your home or small office network.
2.. The Internet Connection Firewall is enabled when you choose a
configuration in the wizard that indicates that your computer is connected
directly to the Internet.
To configure Internet Connection Firewall manually for a connection:
1.. In Control Panel, double-click Networking and Internet Connections,
and then click Network Connections.
2.. Right-click the connection on which you would like to enable ICF, and
then click Properties.
3.. On the Advanced tab, click the box to select the option to Protect my
computer or network.
4.. If you want to enable the use of some applications and services
through the firewall, you need to enable them by clicking the Settings
button, and then selecting the programs, protocols, and services to be
enabled for the ICF configuration.
To view a video of how to manually configure the Internet Connection
Firewall, click the Play button () on the Windows Media Player viewer below:



If you have problems viewing this video, click here.


NOTE: To view the above video, Windows Media Player 7.0 or later must be
installed on your computer. For additional information about how to obtain
Windows Media Player version 7.1, click the article number below to view the
article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
299321 Description and Availability of Windows Media Player 7.1

back to the top

Disable Internet Connection Firewall
1.. In Control Panel, double-click Networking and Internet Connections,
and then click Network Connections.
2.. Right-click the connection on which you would like to disable ICF, and
then click Properties.
3.. On the Advanced tab, click the box to clear the option to Protect my
computer or network.
back to the top

Last Reviewed: 4/24/2003
Keywords: kbArtTypeSHOWME kbHOWTOmaster kbnetwork KB283673 kbAudITPro



--
Larry Samuels MS-MVP (Windows-Shell/User)
Associate Expert
Unofficial FAQ for Windows Server 2003 at
http://home.earthlink.net/~larrysamuels/WS2003FAQ.htm
Expert Zone -