Re: Warning about tracking software?
From: sponge (yosponge_at_yahoo.com)
Date: 02/14/04
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Date: 13 Feb 2004 18:22:40 -0800
On 9 Feb 2004 16:26:22 -0800, daisy4141931@yahoo.com (Daisy) wrote:
>Pardon my naivete, but I got a pop-up window in IE that says:
>"Warning. Important Message!!! Microsoft Internet Explorer. You are
>seeing this message because we have detected that you have tracking
>software installed on your machine. ... click here for a free scanner
>..."
>
>I suspect that this is fictitious and is just a way to get me to
click
>on something that will download a virus or worm into my computer (I
>didn't like the three exclamation points after the "Important
>Message!!!", for example).
>
>Now for my question. Since this appeared in a popup window and not a
>normal Internet Explorer window, is there a way that I can view the
>source for this pop-up window the way I can for a normal IE window?
>I'd just like to check where clicking is going to send me instead of
>actually clicking. Maybe I can eliminate ever getting popups from
>them again!?
>
>Thanks,
>Daisy
Your intuition is absolutely correct. This sounds like Windows
Messenger spam. There are three kinds of pop-ups:Web-based, which are
launched by code embedded in web pages (like X10 or Orbitz.com
pop-ups), Windows Messenger spam (WM is a uitility built into Windows
to allow system administrators to notify people on networks about
events such as outages - but spammers figured out how to pervert this
for advertising purposes.) Finally, there is spyware and
adware-induced pop-ups, which can be one of the worst problems. First,
get a firewall. I recommend Kerio 2.1.5 (free), but Zone Alarm's free
version will do, and if you don't mind spending a little money, a
hardware firewall like Netgear wouldn't be a bad addition as well. For
Kerio, you can use a configuration file from my site, although the
default configuration is decent as-is.
To shut of WM, there are instructions at www.stopmessengerspam.com for
whatever operating system you use, or you can download a little
utility called ShootTheMessenger from http://grc.com. There are a few
other useful security utilities available there, depending on your
Windows version.
I strongly suggest discontinuing use of Internet Explorer (and
Outlook, if you use it), and using Firebird or Opera. This is far and
away your greatest security threat. IE is essentially an open door
into your system and can allow all sorts of parasites to hijack it.
You can get Firebird at www.mozilla.org. Although it's possible to get
IE reasonably secure, you will lose a lot of functionality, and it
generally isn't worth it in light of the fact that it still has plenty
of holes even if hardened to the max. Nearly all other browsers on the
market, including those mentioned above, have built-in pop-up blockers
to stop web-based popups.
To stop spyware and ad-ware, which often creates pop-ups as well
(among many other nastiness), use Ad-Aware, SpyBot, and CWShredder.
Download them, run their built-in updaters, and scan for parasites.
Finally, I recommend getting a HOSTS file from here:
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm
Sponge
Sponge's Secure Solutions
www.geocities.com/yosponge
My new email: yosponge2 att yahoo dott com
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