Insecure port

[Colin]

Hi.

I wonder if anyone could point me in the right direction.
I have received a SPAM from a company called
detroyads.com advising me that there is an insecure port
in XP that they (and anyone else) can access as they have
got my internet address. They are trying to get me to pay
$25 to buy some software that they sell (surprise
surprise) which will close this port off.

Is this true ? Is there anything else I can do here to
protect myself ? How real is the risk ?

If anyone out there could help me to resolve this issue,
I would really appreciate it.

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

Regards
Colin

[Jupiter Jones]

Colim;
This is not a weakness and is not a problem as some might suggest.
It is actually a valuable tool used by many.
To eliminate this feature would eliminate a valuable tool that many
business rely on as well as Home users are beginning to use.
The practical solution is a firewall.
For Messenger Service ads:
You need to install or enable a firewall:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;Q330904&
Disabling Messenger Service can be a good idea, but it does not solve
the real problem.
The ads are not the real problem, the ads are only a symptom.
The real problem is open ports that allow unwanted traffic into the
computer.
Disabling Messenger does nothing for the open ports.
The firewall controls the traffic.

This will not work if you have AOL.
AOL is not compatible with Windows XP Internet Connection Firewall
(ICF)
If you have AOL, you should contact AOL and/or get a 3rd party
firewall.

Disable Messenger Service:
Start/Control Panel, click Administrative Tools, click Services.
Go down to "Messenger".
Right click "Messenger" and select Properties.
Then under Start-up select DISABLE
Click OK and follow prompts

--
Jupiter Jones
An easier way to read newsgroup messages:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/newsgroups/setup.asp
Please respond to newsgroup only for everyone's benefit.


"Colin" > wrote in message
...
>
> Hi.
>
> I wonder if anyone could point me in the right direction.
> I have received a SPAM from a company called
> detroyads.com advising me that there is an insecure port
> in XP that they (and anyone else) can access as they have
> got my internet address. They are trying to get me to pay
> $25 to buy some software that they sell (surprise
> surprise) which will close this port off.
>
> Is this true ? Is there anything else I can do here to
> protect myself ? How real is the risk ?
>
> If anyone out there could help me to resolve this issue,
> I would really appreciate it.
>
> Thanks in advance for your assistance.
>
> Regards
> Colin
>
>

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

This particular "sales method" is strikingly similar to the
"protection" rackets offered to small businesses by organized
criminals. No, they're not "reputable." Particularly since they're
trying to sell you a type of protection that is already available to
you free of charge.

This a 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

Additionally:

Blocking Ads, Parasites, and Hijackers with a Hosts File
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm


Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
----
You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. -- RAH


"Colin" > wrote in message
...
>
> Hi.
>
> I wonder if anyone could point me in the right direction.
> I have received a SPAM from a company called
> detroyads.com advising me that there is an insecure port
> in XP that they (and anyone else) can access as they have
> got my internet address. They are trying to get me to pay
> $25 to buy some software that they sell (surprise
> surprise) which will close this port off.
>
> Is this true ? Is there anything else I can do here to
> protect myself ? How real is the risk ?
>
> If anyone out there could help me to resolve this issue,
> I would really appreciate it.
>
> Thanks in advance for your assistance.
>
> Regards
> Colin
>
>

[Alun Jones [MS MVP]]

In article >, "Colin"
> wrote:
>I wonder if anyone could point me in the right direction.
>I have received a SPAM from a company called
>detroyads.com advising me that there is an insecure port
>in XP that they (and anyone else) can access as they have
>got my internet address. They are trying to get me to pay
>$25 to buy some software that they sell (surprise
>surprise) which will close this port off.
>
>Is this true ? Is there anything else I can do here to
>protect myself ? How real is the risk ?

Over in news.admin.net-abuse.email, they have a list of rules of spam. Rule
# 1 says "spammers lie", and there are various corollaries such as "even
when spammers think they are telling the truth, they can't help but lie".

If a spammer thought he could sell you something as a result, he would tell
you that he was the second coming of Jesus Christ.

Do not believe a word of anything you hear in spam. Particularly, do not
converse with spammers, because in their twisted world-view, it is better to
send spam to people who don't want it, than to send spam to addresses that
don't exist. So, they take any communication (even a direct request to
never email you again) as an invitation to not only send you more spam, but
to sell your address to other spammers as a "live one".

>If anyone out there could help me to resolve this issue,
>I would really appreciate it.

Others have made suggestions for firewalls and/or personal firewalls, and I
would concur with what they suggested.

Alun.
~~~~

[Please don't email posters, if a Usenet response is appropriate.]
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