Re: Messenger Service

From: Bruce Chambers (bchambers_at_nospamcableone.net)
Date: 02/16/04 

Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2004 09:10:40 -0700

Greetings --

    Please stop deliberately posting potentially harmful advice.

    Disabling the messenger service, as you advise, is a "head in the
sand"
approach to computer security that leaves the PC vulnerable to threats
such as the W32.Blaster.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."

    The only true way to secure 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 no
good. Unfortunately, this does require one to learn a little bit more
about using a computer than used to be necessary.

Bruce Chambers 

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"Rick" <infosec@anthonians.org> wrote in message 
news:4030bae9_4@Newsfeeds.com...
> Turn off the Messenger Service . . . in XP go to the Control Panel, 
> d-click
> Administrative Tools, d-click Services.  Scroll down until you come 
> to
> Messenger (Service), click once to highlight, right-click, select 
> Properties
> and in the dialog box, change Startup Type to disabled.  Restart 
> your
> computer and those Messenger Ads wil be gone for good.
>
> The Messenger Service serves no purpose outside of a networked 
> environment
> where some administrator needs to send pop up messeges to users . . 
> . or
> Spammers wish to sell you a products to stop those same messages 
> they send.
>
> Rick
>
>
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