# Web tool combines junk mail, pop-ups; earns creator special place in Hell **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 21, 2002, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-tool-combines-junk-mail-pop-ups-earns-creator-special-place-in-hell/133259 "2002-10-21T16:57:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-tool-combines-junk-mail-pop-ups-earns-creator-special-place-in-hell/133259/1 "2002-10-21T16:57:54Z")
I mean, holy fuck. This is exactly what the world needs, isn’t it? From [this article](http://apnews.excite.com/article/20021020/D7MPIALG0.html): > [@](#): > > A developer of bulk-mail software has figured out how to blast computers with pop-up spam over the Internet through a messaging function on many Windows operating systems. The function was designed for use by computer network technicians to, for instance, warn people on their systems of a planned shutdown. > > The pop-up messages appear on recipients’ computers in separate windows, similar to pop-up ads that appear when a user goes to a Web site. > > But there’s a difference: Anyone can send the messages, and there’s no need for the user to have an Internet browser open. How appalling is that? It makes me want to strangle that fuckwit Zoltan Kovacs, and whoever he hired to create this. ---
**Author:** ![apotheosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba8739/32.png) [@apotheosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/apotheosis)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-tool-combines-junk-mail-pop-ups-earns-creator-special-place-in-hell/133259/2 "2002-10-21T17:03:35Z")
Generally speaking: if you’re not running a firewall by now, you’re asking for far more potent trouble than net message popups. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-tool-combines-junk-mail-pop-ups-earns-creator-special-place-in-hell/133259/3 "2002-10-21T17:34:03Z")
> [@](#): > > It makes me want to strangle that fuckwit Zoltan Kovacs, and whoever he hired to create this. Please instead strangle the fuckwits who thought it appropriate to put a feature into an operating system whereby any person may cause a message to appear on the screen without any need for authentication or authorization. ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-tool-combines-junk-mail-pop-ups-earns-creator-special-place-in-hell/133259/4 "2002-10-21T17:54:01Z")
The upside is, you need to be running Win 2000 or XP - that cuts down on the market right there, as some folks are running older versions of Windows, or other OS’s. The other good thing is the messenger service is super easy to turn off, I had it turned off even before this kind of spam popped up. To turn off the messenger service in XP: Click on the Start button and open the control panel. Open the Performance and Maintenance control panel and go to Administrative Tools. Now double-click on Services, then scroll to Messenger. Double-click Messenger and click Stop to stop the service. Change the startup type to Disable ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-tool-combines-junk-mail-pop-ups-earns-creator-special-place-in-hell/133259/5 "2002-10-21T18:04:14Z")
> [@](#): > > Please instead strangle the fuckwits who thought it appropriate to put a feature into an operating system whereby any person may cause a message to appear on the screen without any need for authentication or authorization. You’ve got a point, there. ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2002, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-tool-combines-junk-mail-pop-ups-earns-creator-special-place-in-hell/133259/6 "2002-10-22T00:25:56Z")
Reminds me of the time I discovered that the default in Windows NT was to allow anyone with administrator access (on _their_ computer) on my network to change my registry settings over the network. I love Microsoft security. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2002, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-tool-combines-junk-mail-pop-ups-earns-creator-special-place-in-hell/133259/7 "2002-10-22T00:35:00Z")
I am going to kill myself. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2002, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-tool-combines-junk-mail-pop-ups-earns-creator-special-place-in-hell/133259/8 "2002-10-22T00:37:32Z")
hello ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2002, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-tool-combines-junk-mail-pop-ups-earns-creator-special-place-in-hell/133259/9 "2002-10-22T00:40:35Z")
d’oh! Sorry, I meant to press preview but pressed submit instead. ---
**Author:** ![PhiloVance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e19adc/32.png) [@PhiloVance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhiloVance)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2002, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-tool-combines-junk-mail-pop-ups-earns-creator-special-place-in-hell/133259/10 "2002-10-22T07:22:04Z")
Avant Browser (used to be IE Opera), K-Meleon and Mozilla can stop popups via a preference setting. Email me if you want the links, but I’m sure a Google search will turn them up. Kovacs technology is behind the cutting edge. Ditto what **apotheosis** said, you need a firewall, there’s several free ones: Tiny, Zone Alarm and Sygate come to mind. If you need an email cleaner Mailwasher is free. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2002, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-tool-combines-junk-mail-pop-ups-earns-creator-special-place-in-hell/133259/11 "2002-10-22T09:45:19Z")
Ah, but **PhiloVance** , what Kovacs has come up with is _not_ a browser popup, nor does it have anything to do with email. In fact, you don’t have to be running a browser at all to be spammed by this technique! When (and if) you get one of these messages, you’ll see that it’s a different animal. Thankfully, turning off the Messenger service (it’s not the same thing as MSN Messenger, BTW), and/or using a good firewall will spare one from this new misery. ---
**Author:** ![Ennui](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ennui/32/3396_2.png) [@Ennui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ennui)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2002, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-tool-combines-junk-mail-pop-ups-earns-creator-special-place-in-hell/133259/12 "2002-10-22T13:14:39Z")
Thank you **Boscibo**. I play a free browser based game that is funded by banners and popups. Editing my host file and useing a popup killer spared me most of the pain that could cause but untill I read your post I knew of no way to get rid of those anoying “mesenger” notices. Have a cold one on me. ---
**Author:** ![Mojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Mojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mojo)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2002, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-tool-combines-junk-mail-pop-ups-earns-creator-special-place-in-hell/133259/13 "2002-10-22T19:31:49Z")
> [@](#): > > Please instead strangle the fuckwits who thought it appropriate to put a feature into an operating system whereby any person may cause a message to appear on the screen without any need for authentication or authorization. Come on, this feature’s been around since NT (8+ years?) and is only now being exploited and somehow it’s Microsoft’s fault for not having the foresight to see what lengths arsehole spammers will go to? There’s plenty of stuff to blame microsoft for but this isn’t one of them. ---
**Author:** ![tourbot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@tourbot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tourbot)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2002, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-tool-combines-junk-mail-pop-ups-earns-creator-special-place-in-hell/133259/14 "2002-10-23T17:19:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mojo \* > \*\*Come on, this feature’s been around since NT (8+ years?) and is only now being exploited and somehow it’s Microsoft’s fault for not having the foresight to see what lengths arsehole spammers will go to? There’s plenty of stuff to blame microsoft for but this isn’t one of them. \*\* Yes. Yes it is. Because we have always known that there is no length that is too long for hackers, spammers, et al. Simple rule of thumb: if a service runs on your system, it should either not be on by default, or there should be some secutrity built into it. Microsoft seems to prefer the approach of “run every service whether or not you need it or want it, and maybe in a few years we’ll have a patch that partially addresses security issues”.