B
Buddy4233 \(removethis\)
whats the best product to use to stop the messenger pop-
ups i am using XP
ups i am using XP
Nico said:That is a good point Jupiter and I forgot that in my response. My
bad. Thanks for pointing it out.
I usually give users the choice. Either to turn off the messenger
service or to turn on the firewall and configure the appopriate ports
to be open (the preferred avenue). This way the user has the last
say in how they want their system to be configured.
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: Pulling the battery out of a noisy smoke
detector instead of seeking and eliminating the source of the smoke
that set it off.
I wouldn't recommend simply disabling the messenger service- a lot of people
will think this is "just as good" as using a firewall. I think it's
appropriate to mention that messenger spam is merely a fairly innocent
symptom of a much larger security problem.
Kevin said:It won't be fairly innocent if the victim doesn't have their system
patched against the serious vulnerability in the Messenger Service.
Or perhaps be susceptible to another vulnerability that may exist in
it that we don't know about yet. Yes, certainly a firewall is needed,
but turn off unneeded services (which, for many people includes the
Messenger Service) as well. This is called hardening your system and
is just part of a layered security approach that most security experts
recommend.
What I mean is that the messenger spam itself is not the problem. It
indicates a far larger underlying security problem. Re-read my post. ;-)
Kevin said:]On Sat, 13 Mar 2004 17:50:38 -0500, "Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]"
Kevin said:On Thu, 11 Mar 2004 09:54:45 -0500, "Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]"
I wouldn't recommend simply disabling the messenger service- a lot
of people will think this is "just as good" as using a firewall. I
think it's appropriate to mention that messenger spam is merely a
fairly innocent symptom of a much larger security problem.
It won't be fairly innocent if the victim doesn't have their system
patched against the serious vulnerability in the Messenger Service.
Or perhaps be susceptible to another vulnerability that may exist in
it that we don't know about yet. Yes, certainly a firewall is
needed, but turn off unneeded services (which, for many people
includes the Messenger Service) as well. This is called hardening
your system and is just part of a layered security approach that
most security experts recommend.
What I mean is that the messenger spam itself is not the problem. It
indicates a far larger underlying security problem. Re-read my post.
;-)
Not to be contentious, but I did read your post the first time and you
said that Messenger Service pop-ups are fairly innocent symptoms. My
comment is that it may or may not be depending on the circumstances.
Nothing you just said changes that.
Symptoms=innocent. Messenger spam itself doesn't hurt your computer; it's an
irritant. Underlying problem=not innocent.
Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?
You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments. After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.