Messenger Pop-ups

[purplehaz]

News flash: Firewalls are software. Virtually no software is
bulletproof. Thus there is no way you can guarantee that one "CANNOT
BE HACKED" by running a firewall. That statement really exposes your
ignorance in the security field.

I know that their is no guarantee with firewalls that someone won't get in,
but it helps alot. Sometimes you have to exagerate to get your point across.
Anyway security is relative so we'll just put this to bed. What some think
is a security risk I think is a great tool, when used properly. There is no
wrong or right, this is just my opinion.

You do not enable a service unless
you need it. For your purposes, you have made it clear that you
"need" it. For a lot of people, like myself, it is completely
unnecessary and represents a completely unnecessary risk when enabled.

Why try to"fix" something that doesn't need fixing. Your car doesn't need
fuel injection, do you rip it out and put a carb on it? Of course not, you
use what is given to you to your advantage. Why not put the messenger
service into gui form and have it turn on and off when the app starts and
closes. Then everyone would be happy.

..

 

[Plato]

No reason for it to be enabled in who's eyes? The messenger service can be a
valuable tool in a home network environment. You can use it for many things
in the home. Example: its dinner time so you message your kids upstairs that
dinners ready, instead of yelling like a cave man. This is the new

Screw that. No need to use windows to call kids for dinner. They dont
get the hint, more food for me. [g]

 

[David Candy]

Listen shit for brains. IT DOESN'T NEED PATCHING. It is working exactly to design. You morons shouldn't express opinions on things you know nothing about. The problem is you moronicly misconfigured your internet connection as a network connection.

 

[Kevin Davis³]

Why try to"fix" something that doesn't need fixing. Your car doesn't need
fuel injection, do you rip it out and put a carb on it? Of course not, you
use what is given to you to your advantage. Why not put the messenger
service into gui form and have it turn on and off when the app starts and
closes. Then everyone would be happy.

Your analogy is a bad one. Your car having or not having fuel
injection will have no bearing on someone's chances on stealing it.
Having the Messenger Service - or any unneeded service for that matter
turned on is providing an unnecessary risk for making it easier for
some hacker to own your system.

 

[Kevin Davis³]

Listen shit for brains. IT DOESN'T NEED PATCHING. It is working exactly to design. You morons shouldn't express opinions on things you know nothing about. The problem is you moronicly misconfigured your internet connection as a network connection.

I guess you don't know of the serious vulnerability that exists in the
Messenger Service:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/security/bulletin/ms03-043.asp

Can you read the part that says "download the patch"? This proves
without a doubt YOU are the one who doesn't know what you are talking
about. It certainly DOES need patching.

YOU might want to read up on these security issues before you express
your opinion.

 

[purplehaz]

Your analogy is a bad one. Your car having or not having fuel
injection will have no bearing on someone's chances on stealing it.

My point was in case you missed it, you messenger service haters say its
unneeded, well fuel injection is unneeded, power windows are unneeded, do we
shun those technologies too? We can get along fine without them, but we
still use and have them. If your point is its unneeded, well their are a
zillion things that are unneeded on a computer, gee lets just go back to
win3.1 or dust off the old atari. And speaking from someone who knows some
hackers, they don't waist their time breaking into Joe Smiths computer to
steal stuff, not worth it. An individuals home computer may get a trojan on
it and then the hacker can use it as a jumping point or to do ddos attacks,
but they don't care about breaking into your computer and stealing anything.
Most of what "hackers" do is done to make a point.

Having the Messenger Service - or any unneeded service for that matter
turned on is providing an unnecessary risk for making it easier for
some hacker to own your system.

Just getting on the internet is a risk. Should we now all avoid it and turn
it off? The messenger service security risk is no different than the
hundreds of other of exploits that a hacker could do to you. Stay updated,
patched, and firewalled and 95% of the time you'll be fine.

 

[Kevin Davis³]

My point was in case you missed it, you messenger service haters say its
unneeded, well fuel injection is unneeded, power windows are unneeded, do we
shun those technologies too? We can get along fine without them, but we
still use and have them. If your point is its unneeded,

You are confusing something that would be useful or enjoyed by a
consumer with something that is completely useless to the consumer.
In the case of fuel injection and power windows, they are features
that will be enjoyed and found useful by some and not by others. The
ones who find those features totally useless will not pay for them and
thus not have them - if they are smart. The same idea goes with the
Messenger Service. I am not a Messenger Service "hater". It is
ridiculous to make that statement. I have stated over and over, that
if you need the Messenger Service, patch it and leave it running. If
you don't need it, turn it off. I just wish to provide people with
complete information - particularly when it comes to security. I
don't understand why people wish to insist that people who don't need
or care about the Messenger Service *must* leave it on.

steal stuff, not worth it. An individuals home computer may get a trojan on
it and then the hacker can use it as a jumping point or to do ddos attacks,
but they don't care about breaking into your computer and stealing anything.
Most of what "hackers" do is done to make a point.

It really depends on the hacker. It is unwise to base your security
upon depending on certain behavior from hackers. A wiser approach is
to secure everything you can as best as you can and still be able to
do what you need or want to do.

Just getting on the internet is a risk. Should we now all avoid it and turn
it off? The messenger service security risk is no different than the
hundreds of other of exploits that a hacker could do to you. Stay updated,
patched, and firewalled and 95% of the time you'll be fine.

Maybe. However if I am not sacrificing a thing to get from 95% to 97%
it is well worth it.

Do you run an ftp server on your system? If not, then why not? There
are plenty of free ones out there for you to get.