Annoying messenger messages.

  • Thread starter Thread starter Miguel De Anda
  • Start date Start date
M

Miguel De Anda

I've noticed that winxp and 2k have added a wonderful way for people to send
annoying "Stop messages like this by buying a product for $xx.xx that will
basically stop the Messenger service. Anyway, I've noticed that stopping the
messeger service keeps messages like those out. What is the downside to
stopping the Messenger service? What programs use it? Was it simply a way
for M$ to please spammers?

The only semi/ok way that I've seen it being used is to alert my machine
that another machine or mail server or whatever have gone down. I've also
gotten messages that report when the UPS battery is low or whatever. That's
how we have it set up at work. But we are behind a firewall and don't get
messages from spammers. Is there any good in having this service up on a
regular home computer? If this service is for nothing other than receiving
those messages, why was it installed by default? Or, what was it set to
start by default? I think that was a bad choice. Most people won't bother to
look in Admin Settings to try to find a way to stop such messages. Everybody
in my neighborhood has recently switched to Linux because of these
messages... (not really... but I'm sure they consider it more now than
before)
 
How do I turn on Windows XP's Firewall?
http://www.andyrathbone.com/tips/firewall.html

Purchase and install Norton Internet Security 2003
http://www.symantec.com/sabu/nis/nis_pe/

-- Includes Norton AntiVirus 2003
-- Includes Norton Personal Firewall
-- Includes prevention of annoying web pop-ups
-- Includes Parental Controls
-- All in one, easy-to-install package


--
Nicholas

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


| I've noticed that winxp and 2k have added a wonderful way for people to send
| annoying "Stop messages like this by buying a product for $xx.xx that will
| basically stop the Messenger service. Anyway, I've noticed that stopping the
| messeger service keeps messages like those out. What is the downside to
| stopping the Messenger service? What programs use it? Was it simply a way
| for M$ to please spammers?
|
| The only semi/ok way that I've seen it being used is to alert my machine
| that another machine or mail server or whatever have gone down. I've also
| gotten messages that report when the UPS battery is low or whatever. That's
| how we have it set up at work. But we are behind a firewall and don't get
| messages from spammers. Is there any good in having this service up on a
| regular home computer? If this service is for nothing other than receiving
| those messages, why was it installed by default? Or, what was it set to
| start by default? I think that was a bad choice. Most people won't bother to
| look in Admin Settings to try to find a way to stop such messages. Everybody
| in my neighborhood has recently switched to Linux because of these
| messages... (not really... but I'm sure they consider it more now than
| before)
|
|
 
Thats the 'messenger service' just search this newsgroup
for "Messenger Serivce" it has been answer thouands of
times.
 
Chris Lanier said:
Thats the 'messenger service' just search this newsgroup
for "Messenger Serivce" it has been answer thouands of
times.
Click to expand...


I did, pacbell has a cheap news server. It erases messages after about 20
days. I just paid my $4 to try out tera news.
 
Hi Miguel - These are most likely due to open NetBios ports 135, 137-139
and 445. You really need to block these with a firewall as a general
protection measure. You can stop the popups by turning off Messenger
Service; however, this still leaves you vulnerable. (For some other
reasons you should probably also specifically block the following
additional ports as well: UDP 135, and TCP 593)


See: Messenger Service Window That Contains an Internet Advertisement
Appears http://support.microsoft.com/?id=330904 which identifies reasons
to keep this service and steps to take if you do.

You can test your system and follow the 'Prevention' link to get
additional information here:
http://www.mynetwatchman.com/winpopuptester.asp Unless you have very
good reasons to keep this active, it should be turned off in Win2k and
XP. Go here and do what it says:
http://www.itc.virginia.edu/desktop/docs/messagepopup/ or, even better,
get MessageSubtract, free, here, which will give you flexible control of
the service and viewing of these messages:
http://www.intermute.com/messagesubtract/help.html Recommended.

(FWIW, ZoneAlarm's default Internet Zone firewall configuration blocks
the necessary ports to prevent this use of Messenger Service. I don't
know the situation with regard to other firewalls.)

Messenger Service is not per se Spyware or something that MS did wrong -
It provides a messaging capability which is useful for local intranets
and is also sometimes (albeit nowdays infrequently) used by some
applications to provide popup messaages to users. However, it can also
be (and now frequently is) used to introduce spam via this open NetBios
channel. For a single user home computer, it normally isn't needed and
can be turned off which will eliminate the spam popups. This DOESN'T,
however, remove the vulnerability of having these ports open, when in
fact they aren't needed, since they can be perverted in other ways as
well, some of which can be much more damaging than just a spam popup.



--
Regards, Jim Byrd, MS-MVP
Please respond in original thread in Newsgroup.




In 9Z%[email protected], Miguel De Anda
typed:
 
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