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AOL Hacks Subscribers' Computers
ctwxman writes "If you're running a recent vintage version of Windows, and connecting to the Internet with an IP address reachable from the outside world, you've probably seen them. They're rectangular boxes that pop-up out of the blue with advertising. These aren't pop-up (or pop-under) browser ads but actually a weird misuse of Windows Messenger Service, a mostly useless tool which Microsoft has left on by default! Though similarly named, this isn't at all related to Microsoft's IM product. You can't block these pop-ups by shutting down ports, because Windows Messenger Service shares some ports with other useful services. The best way to stop the pop-ups requires the user to readjust some internal Windows settings. As you might imagine, many users are reticent to do that. Now, AOL has come up with another solution. They're going into subscribers' machines, without asking and making the adjustments themselves! Though the short term result will probably be good, there are all sorts of implications when your ISP just reaches out and decides how your PC should be configured without your knowledge." The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act makes this clearly illegal; if this were a 17-year-old instead of AOL, the FBI would be investigating.
...next thing you know they'll change their name to a0l.
(fp?)
This has nothing to do with MSN Messenger. Even the summary says this, you didn't even need to RTFA.
LordBodak's journal.
Install AOL on there PC. Get Hacked Sue
Beware of those who profit off the docile and persecute the unbelievers.
Microsoft Security Analyst
- Remotely corrected flaws in the Microsoft Windows operating system
- Reason for leaving: Incarceration by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2004-2006
echo "your monitor's radiation shield has failed, please evacuate to minimum safe distance" |smbclient -M luserbox doesn't get them every time, but when it does...
and thus brain shall rule us!
For every corporate action, there is an equal and opposite class action suit.
for the last time people, I am "frodo from middle eaRTH", not "middle eaST".
This is a service, as mentioned, and so it can be stopped. Right click my computer -> manage -> Services and Applications -> Services -> right click on Messenger, and click disable. Can you linux users really not figure out the simplest things in Windows?
Git along hapless users. Cck! Chk! Git! C'mon users, git!
US Democracy:The best person for the job (among These pre-selected choices...)
Back when I was the Pool Guy, I had to employ a similar tactic. You see, many customers require pool service. A large subset of these customers require "service" on "ports" that aren't usually associated with pools. As you can immagine, "servicing" these "requests" landed me in hot water on more than a few occasions.
One day it occured to me that I could simply change my standard contract to unconditionally allow me to preform any additional "service" the customer required. All at no charge.
Can I sue AOL for prior art?
According to AOL's online history, AOL is a 17-year-old. OK, it's a bit of a stretch, you have to count from when they went online instead of when they incorporated and they'd still be less than a month away from 18 years, but that's my story and I'm sticking with it.
Slashdot - News for Herds. Stuff that Splatters.
I have a custom application that USES this service and when they disable it my company stops working...
I've been trying to get ahold of you. I DO want my diploma, and your program sounds really easy. How much does it cost?
This won't happen - Microsoft have already banned the distribution of their patches on CD
Fortunately they've now got this really useful system whereby they email you important security patches.
If I hadn't installed all of those useful security patches that Microsoft's team of crack C-class programmers have been e-mailing me, why, who knows, my box would probably be 0wn3d by some tiny l33t uber-hacker by now?
As it is, the constant activity from the light on my cable modem reminds me on an ongoing basis that we are continuously fighting off attempts from evil hax0rz to get control of my computer. Fortunately, thanks to the reliability of Microsoft's email security patch programme, those poor skript kiddies don't stand a cat 5 cable in wireless networking hell's chance.
Oh and by the way. I don't want any of you trolls trying to tell me that Microsoft don't email security patches. Bill Gates signed the emails personally, and there's no way that Bill would lie to me. The money that he owes me for forwarding those emails on last year is just a little late is all...
If not ncessarily spelling ability...