as title, does it mean my system is in danger? and how do I stop them?thanks
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as title, does it mean my system is in danger? and how do I stop them?thanks
A new form of spam is spreading to computer screens throughout the world, and it does not rely on an email account, Web browser or chat client to attack. It utilizes the Microsoft Windows® Messenger Service that is automatically built in to Windows operating systems (XP, 2000 and NT).
Windows Messenger Service is used, primarily, by system administrators to send notices to users at their PCs and inform them of scheduled maintenance or system shutdowns.
However, this service has been hacked to send users spam whenever they connect to the Internet.
There is an easy way to eliminate this spam sent through the Messenger Service. You can simply disable the Messenger Service by following the instructions below, and spammers will be unable to reach your computer.
Note: Disabling the Windows Messenger will not effect the operations or use of Instant Messenger applications such as Yahoo! IM, MSN IM or any other IM applications.
However, if you do turn off the Messenger Service, you will not be able to receive legitimate messages that may be sent from your system administrator. You should contact your distributed IT provider and verify that disabling Windows Messenger will not inadvertently affect a service your department might use. The Messenger Service can be turned back on at any time.
Use the following steps, provided by Microsoft, to turn off your Messenger Service:
For Windows 2000:
1. Click Start > Settings > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services.
2. Scroll down and highlight Messenger.
3. Right-click the highlighted line and choose Properties.
4. Click the STOP button.
5. Select Disabled or Manual on the Startup Type drop-down menu.
6. Click OK.
Note: According to Microsoft, if the Messenger service is stopped, messages from the Alerter service (notifications from your antivirus software, for example) are not transmitted. If the Messenger service is turned off, any services that explicitly depend on the Messenger service do not start, and an error message is logged in the System event log. For this reason, Microsoft recommends that you install a firewall and configure it to block NetBIOS and RPC traffic instead of turning off the Messenger service.
Good work MR Blunt. :)