Lonnie said:
Is there anything I can do to cut out the popups that
keep being sent? I'm getting them when I'm not in any
applications and at the desktop. They are annoying me.
Lonnie
The below is shamelessly stolen from Bruce Chambers, who explains things
more eloquently than I ever could!
This particular "sales method" is strikingly similar to the "protection"
rackets offered to small businesses by organized criminals. Yes, it's a
scam; no reputable business would need to resort to extortion. Particularly
since they're trying to sell you a type of protection that is already
available to you free of charge.
This type of spam has become quite common over the past few months, 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 may well be open to other threats.
Install and use a decent, properly configured firewall. (Disabling the
messenger service, as some people recommend, only hides the symptom, and
does nothing to secure your machine.) And ignoring or just "putting up
with" these messages and the problem they represent 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 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 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 1: Somewhere in a house, a small fire starts, and sets
off the smoke alarm. You, not immediately seeing any fire/smoke, complain
about the noise of the smoke detector, and are advised to remove the smoke
detector's battery and go back to sleep.
Equivalent Scenario 2: 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 some of your respondents, replies, "Well, don't do that."
I'm beginning to think that the people deliberately posting such bad advice
are hacker-wannabes who have no true interest in helping you secure your
system, but would rather give you a false sense of security while ensuring
that your computer is still open to exploitation.
