Messenger Service Pop Up's

[Guest]

Could anyone tell me how to stop Messenger Service Pop Up's.
they appeare whilst working off line as well as on line, usually 8 - 9 per min.
no matter what work i am doing, they keep poping up and they are driving me crazy.

 

[bud]

Turn on your firewall.

Could anyone tell me how to stop Messenger Service Pop Up's.
they appeare whilst working off line as well as on line, usually 8 - 9 per min.
no matter what work i am doing, they keep poping up and they are driving

me crazy.

 

[Mike]

Go to www.grc.com .. save to favourites.. click on the 'SHIELDS UP' logo..
scroll down to the 'THREE MUSKETEERS'.. download all of them and then thru
each item, use the disable function to stop each service running..

Could anyone tell me how to stop Messenger Service Pop Up's.
they appeare whilst working off line as well as on line, usually 8 - 9 per min.
no matter what work i am doing, they keep poping up and they are driving

me crazy.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

This type of spam has become quite common over the past year or
so, 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 most definitely open to other threats, such as the Blaster,
Welchia, and Sasser Worms that still haunt 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

If you're using AOL, you'll either need to find a 3rd party
firewall that is compatible with AOL, or switch to a real ISP that is
compatible with the real Internet. This is because AOL is an on-line
content provider that ignores international Internetworking standards
in favor of its own proprietary products, and has deliberately made
its connection software incompatible with both WinXP's built-in
firewall and WinXP's Internet Connection Sharing feature. AOL's
proprietary connection applet is deliberately designed to preclude
your setting/adjusting any of its properties, to include
enabling/disabling WinXP's ICF and ICS.

Whichever firewall you decide upon, be sure to ensure UDP ports
135, 137, and 138 and TCP ports 135, 139, and 445 are _all_ blocked.
You may also disable Inbound NetBIOS (NetBIOS over TCP/IP). You'll
have to follow the instructions from firewall's manufacturer for the
specific steps.

You can test your firewall at:

Symantec Security Check
http://security.symantec.com/ssc/vr_main.asp?langid=ie&venid=sym&plfid=23&pkj=GPVHGBYNCJEIMXQKCDT

Security Scan - Sygate Online Services
http://www.sygatetech.com/

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

Could anyone tell me how to stop Messenger Service Pop Up's.
they appeare whilst working off line as well as on line, usually 8 - 9 per min.
no matter what work i am doing, they keep poping up and they are

driving me crazy.

 

[WinGuy]

Could anyone tell me how to stop Messenger Service Pop Up's.
they appeare whilst working off line as well as on line, usually 8 - 9 per min.
no matter what work i am doing, they keep poping up and they are driving

me crazy.

Try this utility:
http://grc.com/stm/shootthemessenger.htm

If that doesn't stop the popups then your system is infected, probably with
an IE hijacker.

 

[frodo]

messenger popups are a sign of an insecure system.
disabling the service is not the right solution.

TURN ON YOUR FIREWALL!!!!

 

[Gordon]

messenger popups are a sign of an insecure system.
disabling the service is not the right solution.

TURN ON YOUR FIREWALL!!!!

Please quote the post you are replying to: this is not a chat room, and
quoting keeps the thread intact.

http://www.netmeister.org/news/learn2quote.html

Thank you.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

I realize that you're trying to help, and that such an intent is
commendable, but please don't post potentially harmful advice.

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

An absolutely essential step towards securing 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 not always sufficient.


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 --

I realize that you're trying to help, and that such an intent is
commendable, but please don't post potentially harmful advice.

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

An absolutely essential step towards securing 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 not always sufficient.


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

 

[Miss Perspicacia Tick]

Greetings --

I realize that you're trying to help, and that such an intent is
commendable, but please don't post potentially harmful advice.

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

An absolutely essential step towards securing 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 not always sufficient.


Bruce Chambers

Sorry, Bruce, but your grammar is usually impeccable, but I feel I have to
pick you up here "you're only advice" - have you tried saying that out loud?
;o) "You are advice"?!

 

[Tom]

Sorry, Bruce, but your grammar is usually impeccable, but I feel I have to
pick you up here "you're only advice" - have you tried saying that out loud?
;o) "You are advice"?!

Why is it when someone finds your grammatical errors, you nether acknowledge
them or make an effort to correct yourself in the next post?

I also saw where you were caught lying, and didn't acknowledge that as well!

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

Do you realize that it's taken you over a year to catch that?
You're slipping. ;-} Anyways, thanks for pointing out the error.
I'll try to remember to fix it for any subsequent posts.

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