How to Stop Windows Messenger Spam
If you are receiving ads in a Windows dialog window that say "Messenger Service" in the title, this is not spyware or adware. It is a messaging service built into Windows which has been discovered and exploited by spammers. It is Windows Messenger, not the Microsoft .net Messenger chat client.
Example:
There are three ways to remove these ads: use a firewall to block the port the service uses, turn off the messaging service entirely, or use Steve Gibson's free "Shoot The Messenger" program.
If you need to leave the service running, block port 135 in your firewall. For help with doing this in your specific firewall, please start a new topic in the Firewalls forum at our message boards.
If you can't block that port for some reason or would prefer to disable the service completely, follow these directions.
For Windows 2000 and XP:
- Go to start and click Run
- Type services.msc
- Double-click on Messenger.
- In the Messenger Properties window, select Stop, then choose Disable as the Startup Type.
- Click OK.
For Windows 95, 98, and ME
- Under Control Panel, select Add/Remove.
- Select Windows Setup.
- Select System Tools.
- Click Details.
- Uncheck WinPopUp.
- Click OK.
Steve Gibson's free "Shoot The Messenger" program allows you to toggle the messenger service on and off, so it may well be the best option available.
This article is located at http://www.spywareinfo.com/articles/spam/messenger.php
Links:
http://grc.com/stm/ShootTheMessenger.htm Steve Gibson's Shoot The Messenger
http://www.spywareinfo.com/forums/index.php?s=&act=SF&f=5 Firewall forum at SWI message boards
