AOL blocks Messenger spam

[Sockfulloflove]

Internet service America Online has changed its network to block pop-up spam from reaching its customers, the company said Monday.

In a move quickly discovered by spammers, the AOL Time Warner subsidiary made a few technical changes last week to stop a relatively new type of annoying message that uses the Windows messenger service to cause unsolicited marketing to appear on a person's screen.

"In the ongoing fight against spam on a wide-ranging front, this is a big victory for our members," said AOL spokesman Andrew Weinstein.

The technique uses a feature of Windows intended to let network administrators notify their customers of critical maintenance issues such as server downtime or schedule backups. The text-only messages pop up in a dialog box on top of any other window being used at the time. The vulnerability affects Windows 95, 98, NT, 2000 and XP.

Software from companies such as DirectAdvertiser and BroadcastMarketer allow direct marketers to send thousands to hundreds of thousands of such messages every hour to random Internet addresses. Each success means a message appears on a PC's desktop. Spammers like the technique because it forces an Internet user to see a message and close it.

Response rates are high, said Anish Dhingra, president of Broadcast Marketer. Dhingra claims that the technique isn't spam, because affected users can simply turn off the Windows feature that allows the pop-up messages to appear.

"It is pretty hard to opt out completely from spam," he said. His company noticed that AOL had made the modification when customers started calling in, he said.

Dhingra, whose software can send up to 135,000 messages in an hour, believes the company's software will be able to get past AOL's blockade in a few weeks. "Pretty much our next version will have a workaround for AOL," he said.

That means that America Online may find itself in an arms race. "We've blocked this exploit, and we'll continue to fight spam," AOL's Weinstein said.

[KoRn-Child]

I read about this on yahoo...I'm an aol user, and for the price
it's about dam- time they made some advancements. Aol is really horrible. It's a mess...
They have been revamping their whole staff. Included is a lot of
new and different CEOs. Maybe we will see something good
from this monster. Their are a lot of feature and gui improvments w/ aol 8.0.

[Intimidated]

AOL is still bloatware, it always has been, and it is getting more bloated on every release. Remember, every "Feature" they add, stays resident in memory even when you're not using it. My advise, get off AOL and use individual tools / apps to do what you need to do. You'll find everything will perform better!

Int.

[MoonMan]

Originally posted by Intimidated
AOL is still bloatware, it always has been, and it is getting more bloated on every release. Remember, every "Feature" they add, stays resident in memory even when you're not using it. My advise, get off AOL and use individual tools / apps to do what you need to do. You'll find everything will perform better!

Int.

Well look at this! It is Intimidated! Welcome to Zeropaid ;-)
So.... where is the rest of your kin? Is the herd feeding right now?

You know I could really use a hamburger right now.... bleeding rare... with ketchup.. and mustard.. and pickles.. oh and onions.. mmm...

[chipperrox]

does anyone else fantazise that a little red sniper laser would dance across the foreheads of the damn people on the aol commercials who are like "blah blah its great and so easy to use. with parental controls, i can safeguard my childs activities" ....then u hear *boom*

[roylinux]

Okay I must be dumb, but how do you turn off this messenger service that delivers spam. I am affected by this and it really pisses me off. I think my IP address was originally harvested when I was using Aqualime, is this possible? Does aqualime have a function for hiding your IP address, or is there another way of doing it. Ta very much.

[lion7718]

Using the Messenger Service anyone in the world can send pop up messages to your computer, you can disable the Messenger service. Its easy to reverse at a later time.

Windows 2000
Click Start-> Programs-> Administrative Tools->Services
Scroll down and highlight "Messenger"
Right-click the highlighted line and choose Properties.
Click the STOP button.
Select Disable or Manual in the Startup Type scroll bar
Click Apply
Click OK

Windows XP
Click Start->Control Panel
Click Performance and Maintenance
Click Administrative Tools
Double click Services Scroll
down and highlight "Messenger"
Right-click the highlighted line and choose Properties.
Click the STOP button.
Select Disable or Manual in the Startup Type scroll bar
Click Apply
Click OK

Windows NT
Click Start ->Control Panel
Double Click Administrative Tools
Select Services-> Double-click on Messenger
In the Messenger Properties window, select Stop,
Then choose Disable as the Startup Type
Click Apply
Click OK

Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows ME
Click Start->Settings->Control Panel->Add\Remove Programs
Select Windows Setup->System->Tools->Details->WinPopUp
Remove the check from WinPopUp
Click OK
Click Apply

Reboot

[roylinux]

Thanks Lion! I shall give that a go. More SPAM blasted to bits.

[Aaron73153]

Here's a simple solution, in the options under contacts, select "allow only people on my buddy list to contact me" and boom now more messages for webchats with some naked college student or offers to make 6 figures while sitting on your ass.

[artificial_tiger]

hmmm personly i dont know why anyone would use AOL in the firstl place.... its costly... shoddy.... slow (from when i used it 3 yrs back.. lol free trial ;) ) full of security holes and yet for some reason with all the holes really restricted its a waste of money time and effot basicly unless they clean up there act there goin to loss more ppl because as time is getting on people are becoming a lot more computer literate and are finding out that the little icon on the screen isnt the only one to get on the net and its not the only internet program out there that has those fetures and even shock horror alot of the fetures there using can be used free (like AOL IM or AIM) or better ones can be fount else where on the net..... they better clean up there act soon or at least give the ppl tat know something about comuters a little leave way on the net insted of "trapping" you in there "fetures" that half of AOL users dont use and the other half can be found elsewere on the net alot better.... anyways thats my opinion and thats what the forum is for :D feel free to say im wrong in anypoint as long as u can back it up. o and sorry this is almost a badmouth for AOL more than a reply to this thread so i will also say that the windows message pop ups are a pest and for XP users (maby 2000 and 9x/me too i havent tryed sorry so feel free to try and let ppl know) the command line tool that comes with XP (and others?):-
Start > run

type "cmd" ("command" in 9x)

now in the command dialog (dos prompt whatever you like to call it) type "net send %ip %message" ie "net send 192.168.0.1 this is a test"

you should get a return in the dos prompt telling you if it was successful of not.

for more cammands just type "net send" and it will print out a synax of all the codes...

hope this helps a bit

ciao