Messenger Service

[Gabe]

Every time i get on the Internet I get theese things
called Messenger Services.I have America Online 8.0. It
has pop-up controlls so no pop-ups come up,but I don't
think they pop-ups AND IT DOSE NOT WORK! I have an HP
computer and so dose my cousion but they don't get it
{they have MSN}. It said on one Messenger Service that
the version of your windows{XP}Is installed with a
program!! We are about to buy software but before we
spend $24.95 WE WANT SOME
HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How do we disable it or can we? E-mail me back. Thanks

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

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 a 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. (Disabling the messenger service, as
some people recommend, only hides the symptom, and does nothing to
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

You will have to obtain a 3rd party firewall, as AOL has
deliberately made their connection software incompatible with WinXP's
built-in firewall. AOL's proprietary connection applet is
deliberately designed to preclude your setting/adjusting any of its
properties, to include enabling/disabling WinXP's firewall, which is
connection-specific.


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

 

[Alun Jones [MS MVP]]

Every time i get on the Internet I get theese things
called Messenger Services.I have America Online 8.0. It
has pop-up controlls so no pop-ups come up,but I don't
think they pop-ups AND IT DOSE NOT WORK! I have an HP
computer and so dose my cousion but they don't get it
{they have MSN}. It said on one Messenger Service that
the version of your windows{XP}Is installed with a
program!! We are about to buy software but before we
spend $24.95 WE WANT SOME

For goodness' sake, don't buy software to stop these pop-ups. You don't pay
the racketeers to stop scamming you - they'll just find something else to
scam you with - and once they've installed their software on your machine,
it'll be even easier for them to make up some other "flaw" that "only they
can fix".

Visit
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/howto/communicate/stopspam.asp
to find out how you can stop Messenger Spam.

There is word that Internet Connection Firewall doesn't work with AOL, so
you should contact AOL and find out how to stop this spam. You do _not_
need to pay to stop this garbage. [Oh, and you do not want to disable
Messenger Service, because that's acting as a "canary", and will tell you if
your firewall ever fails!]

Alun.
~~~~