Warning…. Warning….Warning 
Do not lose your identity on the Internet!

Over the last two weeks I have heard, from several sources, about an identity theft ring that has been sending out Windows messages, as pop-up ads, over the Internet.  The messages come in several forms, but most often they are asking you to re-register your XYZ software package or to verify your bank account. They have even asked your SSN, age, address, your bank account number and PIN number. First of all, a legitimate company would already have the information they need about account numbers. Secondly, PIN numbers are ALWAYS your private information. Never give them to anyone! If you have mistakenly given them to someone, then call your bank or credit card company and change them before it’s too late!

YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A SCAM TO STEAL YOUR IDENTITY.

Have I said that loud and clear enough?  The people sending out these messages are trying to steal your identity, and your money, over the Internet.  In the last 12 days over 15 people have asked me why they need to re-register their Microsoft operating system.  I have told each and every one of them this is a scam and don’t do it.  But how are these geek-thugs doing it?  For the answer you need a history lesson. 

In the beginning, Microsoft included in Windows 95 a package called Windows Messenger, and it was good.  This allowed networked computers to send a form of electronic message between computers on a network.  This was NOT an e-mail; this was a true text message that appeared on your screen.  It can be in the form of a broadcast message, or was a chat style message.  This was long before Internet access over local networks was more than a gleam in most IT professional’s eyes.

With the advent of e-mail, where the messages can be stored, printed, forwarded, and edited, the use of Windows Messenger fell by the wayside, but it was (and still is) included in Microsoft operating systems.  Why?  Because small organizations that do not have a server running Exchange Server, a separate e-mail server, or Internet access over the network for e-mail, still use this feature of Windows.  In some third world countries, Windows Messenger is all they have for messaging between workstations.

This kind of pop-up message looks different from the normal pop-up message over the Internet.  It does not occur in your Web browser; in fact, it can appear if you are connected to the Internet and your browser is closed.  This pop-up is “detached”, and if you look at the top, it says Messenger Service. 

Now, if a geek-thug has Internet access and knows how to use Windows Messenger Service, they can spread a Windows Messenger message out to the entire world.  Geek-thugs use this method, knowing it looks different, to trick you into something by starting the message claiming to be XZY Company (often Microsoft) asking you to go to an Internet address (URL) and fill out the easy-to-use form to do something like re-register your software.  You can click and close the message, and nothing happens.       

So what does that mean to me? 

Well, if you have Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows ME installed on your computer, Windows Messenger is both installed and RUNNING on your computer and you cannot stop it in Windows!  The only thing you can do is to block the port where these messages come in. How? For that you need a good firewall.

“But Jon, you said if I was using a dial-up, I don’t need a firewall.” 

I did make that statement in 1998 and in 1999, but it is no longer true.  Also, since early in 2001, I have been saying, and writing in the EPCUG newsletter, that my earlier statement was no longer true today.  Pop-up ads are growing daily and the problems they cause are growing hourly.  This identity theft scam is just the latest to come along.  It has become critical that everyone who accesses the Internet have some form of firewall protection, but is especially true for people running Windows 95, 98, or ME.

Why? 

Because in Windows 2000 Pro and Windows XP Home, Windows XP Pro, and Windows NT, you can shut off what is now called Messenger.  I have read articles, and had several people bring me their computers after they have followed articles about how to remove Windows Messenger from Outlook Express.  Usually this means downloading a new or newer version of Internet Explorer with a new or newer version of Outlook Express and re-installing them on the computer.  Using a properly configured firewall is a much better way to prevent this type of pop-up.      

So how can I remove it from Windows 2000 Pro, Windows XP Home, Windows XP Pro and Windows NT? 

I copied part of a very concise how-to article posted at http://www.itc.virginia.edu/desktop/docs/messagepopup/ from Virginia University.  I have tried all of these and can verify that they all work.

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 Disable or Manual in the Startup Type scroll bar.
6. Click OK.

Windows XP Home

1. Click Start->Settings ->Control Panel.
2. Click Performance and Maintenance.
3. Click Administrative Tools.
4. Double click Services Scroll.
5. Scroll down and highlight "Messenger".
6. Right-click the highlighted line and choose Properties.
7. Click the STOP button.
8. Select Disable or Manual in the Startup Type scroll bar.
9. Click OK.  

Windows XP Professional

1. Click Start->Settings ->Control Panel.
2. Click Administrative Tools.
3. Click Services.
4. Double click Services Scroll.
5. Scroll down and highlight "Messenger".
6. Right-click the highlighted line and choose Properties.
7. Click the STOP button.
8. Select Disable or Manual in the Startup Type scroll bar.
9. Click OK.

Windows NT

1. Click Start ->Control Panel.
2. Double Click Administrative Tools.
3. Select Services-> Double-click on Messenger.
4. In the Messenger Properties window, select Stop.
5. Then choose Disable as the Startup Type.
6. Click OK.

So if I turn Messenger Service off in the Windows operating systems above, I don’t need a firewall?

No, it just means that you will not get messenger service pop-ups, but your system is still open to an attack from about everything else without a firewall. 

If you are using a dial-up, then you need a software-based firewall.  Zone Alarm, Black Ice, and Norton Internet Security are three popular software-based firewall programs, but there are many more.  I have used all three of the ones mentioned here, and they all work well.  Configuration is sometimes a problem, but in a few hours, if you read the manual, you can get it working properly for your specific requirements.

If you are using a Cable Modem or DSL, then you have several choices.  If you are using a USB connection, then you need to use a software-based system as shown above.  If you are using Ethernet, then you can purchase an Ethernet/Cable router with a firewall included and multiple posts.  Why?  With a single cable or DSL Internet connection using a route,r you can share that connection to several computers without the need to have a firewall on each!

Can’t I share the Internet connection by connecting it directly to my computer that has a firewall, and then sharing that connection to the other computers?

Yes, you can, but all of the other computers need a separate firewall.  A software-based firewall that is not installed on a server and is designed to be an enterprise solution will not protect the other users.  There are software-based server firewall packages available, but at $1,500 to $4,000, the router is easier and cheaper.

I am sorry that this is such a long e-mail, but I felt this information was important to get out now.  I am e-mailing this to Sherry as an article for the next newsletter, and I will be posting it to our webpage in the next 2-3 days.  If I did not feel this was important, I would let it wait for our meeting on Feb 26, but this has become too large a problem to wait.

Jon Slough
Sales Representative for Information and Records Associates
EPCUG Web Editor
EPCUG Staff writer