pop ups

[toni]

I keep getting "messenger service" pop ups telling me
they can top annoying pop-ups (for about $30!). The only
pop ups I get are the ones trying to sell
me 'protection.' Kind of like the mafia guarding your
car! They say the popups come feom something installed
on my Windows XP...Can I get rid of them without paying
for the 'service?'

[Raoul]

Xref: kermit microsoft.public.windowsxp.basics:140093

Yes, go to start/connect to/and right click on every connection you
have...click on properties/advanced and activate the XP firewall (ICF) for
each one.


"toni" > wrote in message
...
> I keep getting "messenger service" pop ups telling me
> they can top annoying pop-ups (for about $30!). The only
> pop ups I get are the ones trying to sell
> me 'protection.' Kind of like the mafia guarding your
> car! They say the popups come feom something installed
> on my Windows XP...Can I get rid of them without paying
> for the 'service?'
>

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

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.


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


"toni" > wrote in message
...
> I keep getting "messenger service" pop ups telling me
> they can top annoying pop-ups (for about $30!). The only
> pop ups I get are the ones trying to sell
> me 'protection.' Kind of like the mafia guarding your
> car! They say the popups come feom something installed
> on my Windows XP...Can I get rid of them without paying
> for the 'service?'
>

[Chris Lanier]

Most likely you are talking about the "messenger Service" in Windows XP.

You can just enable XP's built in firewall to stop them. -
https://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/proddocs/hnw_enable_firewall.asp

"toni" > wrote in message
...
> I keep getting "messenger service" pop ups telling me
> they can top annoying pop-ups (for about $30!). The only
> pop ups I get are the ones trying to sell
> me 'protection.' Kind of like the mafia guarding your
> car! They say the popups come feom something installed
> on my Windows XP...Can I get rid of them without paying
> for the 'service?'
>