Destroyads.com, Stopmessages.net

[Fooz]

Installed XP home about 2 wks ago. I also have a program
called popup stopper that we use at work. It is very
effective however there are the two sites listed in the
subject line that get throught touting that they can stop
popups from occurring. They are basically sending the
junk and want me to pay to stop it. What can I do?

 

[John Dingley]

This sounds like blackmail to me - tell em to get stuffed or ignore it. If
you paid chances are you get a new lot to pay again.

Why are these products letting these through anyway - did you pay for them
or were they free. If they were "free" I'd look for another product as there
is always the possibility that the ones getting through maybe from the free
supplier tempting you to pay for the upgrade or whatever.

 

[Schnitzel]

Hi,

If you go into admin tools --> services and disable
the "Messenger" service, reboot your PC you won't get them
again

 

[GSV Three Minds in a Can]

This sounds like blackmail to me - tell em to get stuffed or ignore it. If
you paid chances are you get a new lot to pay again.

Why are these products letting these through anyway - did you pay for them
or were they free. If they were "free" I'd look for another product as there
is always the possibility that the ones getting through maybe from the free
supplier tempting you to pay for the upgrade or whatever.

If things are getting through 'popupstopper' they are probably Windows
messenger service spam. Google for 'windows xp stop messenger service
spam' to find out how to eliminate .. basically you need to adjust your
firewalling (you do have a firewall, don't you?)

 

[Jim Macklin]

To the OP....The ads are from Messenger and they are not
pop-ups while you are browsing, they are telling you that
your computer is open to the world.
Messenger is a program intended to allow a system
administrator on a LAN to send a message to all users
concerning network status, like "The server will be shutdown
at 4:00 PM today, be sure all your work is saved by 3:30"
But spammers found out it works on any networked computer,
including WAN (the biggest WAN is the Internet).
Just turning Messenger off does not stop the ability of a
hacker to get into your computer. At the minimum you need
to turn the XP firewall on.


| Hi,
|
| If you go into admin tools --> services and disable
| the "Messenger" service, reboot your PC you won't get them
| again

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

Does the title bar of these pop-ups read "Messenger Service?"

This type of spam has become quite common over the past year, 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 are
open to other threats, such as the Blaster and Welchia worms 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.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?


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

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

Please stop deliberately posting potentially harmful advice.

Disabling the messenger service is a "head in the sand" approach
to computer security that leaves the PC vulnerable to threats such as
the W32.Blaster.Worm.

The real problem is _not_ the messenger service pop-ups; they're
actually providing a useful service by acting as a security alert. The
true problem is the unsecured computer, and you're only
advice, however well-intended, was to turn off the warnings. How is
this helpful?

Equivalent Scenario: 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 you are, replies, "Well,
don't do that."

The only true way to secure the PC, short of disconnecting it from
the Internet, is to install and *properly* configure a firewall; just
installing one and letting it's default settings handle things is no
good. Unfortunately, this does require one to learn a little bit more
about using a computer than used to be necessary.


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