Re: Windows Messenger Pop-up spam

[Ansgar -59cobalt- Wiechers <bugtraq () planetcobalt net>]

On 2004-11-30 Kevin Davis wrote:
> On 2004-11-30 Steven Trewick wrote:
> > > Some people may have also gone into "services" and disabled the
> > > messenger service.
> >
> > Which will merely have lulled them into a false sense of security,
> > since the traffic is still making it to their IP stack. For windows
> > boxen, this is almost as good as "game over"
>
> Not necessarily.  I have disabled the Messenger service.  This has
> less to do with pop-ups as it does general security.  I have no need
> for the Messenger service.  It is part of hardening a system to turn
> off unneeded services.  Any unneeded service running is an unnecessary
> risk as it may have other vulnerabilities (as we have seen with the
> Messenger service and the sendmail daemon to name a few).  And yes, I
> do have a firewall up and am behind a router so I wasn't getting hit
> by pop-ups anyways.  Any box with XP SP2 installed should block the
> Messenger traffic by default as well.  So it isn't "game over" for all
> windows systems.
>
> Anyone who has no firewall (doesn't have SP2 installed) and no router
> and turns off the Messenger service would probably be lulled into a
> false sense of security. 

WTH are you people talking about? A computer that does not provide any
services does not need a firewall, because there is nothing to be
exploited remotely. One may argue that the IP stack itself may be
exploitable, however, how many bugs have shown up in the Windows IP
stack during the past few years? Now compare that to the bugs that have
shown up in $PERSONAL_FIREWALL_OF_YOUR_CHOICE. Hell, there have been
attacks that were possible only *because* there was a Personal Firewall
installed (W32\Witty.worm). Now you're saying that disabling unneded
services and keeping the system patched gives a false sense of security
whereas using Personal Firewalls does not?

You *have* to be kidding me.

Regards
Ansgar Wiechers
-- 
"Those who would give up liberty for a little temporary safety
deserve neither liberty nor safety, and will lose both."
--Benjamin Franklin