Virus problems

I installed Windows Messenger Live last Friday. By Wednesday of this week
viruses had managed to corrupt my system so badly that not a single
anti-virus application could cure the problem.

What steps are Microsoft taking to tighten up on the security of Messenger
Live. It is simply unprofessional to be releasing software with such huge
security holes in it.

Greetings Smitty,

There are no known exploits in Messenger.

If you're getting viruses you're getting them through file transfers and then executing them
from your contacts. Messenger won't even let you send executables through Messenger unless
you have the option checked to do so and have an anti-virus application setup.

--
Jonathan Kay
Microsoft MVP - Windows Live Messenger/MSN Messenger/Windows Messenger
Associate Expert
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/
Messenger Resources - http://messenger.jonathankay.com
All posts unless otherwise specified are (c) 2006 Jonathan Kay.
You *must* contact me for redistribution rights.
--

"Smitty" <> wrote in message
news:E15E055D-F343-492F-A199-...
>I installed Windows Messenger Live last Friday. By Wednesday of this week
> viruses had managed to corrupt my system so badly that not a single
> anti-virus application could cure the problem.
>
> What steps are Microsoft taking to tighten up on the security of Messenger
> Live. It is simply unprofessional to be releasing software with such huge
> security holes in it.
>
>

Saying that there are no known exploits, then saying that it is possible to
get them through files transfers - initiated by the product with no exploits
- is rediculous.

The fact of the matter is that it is simply not possible to take advantage
of all of Messenger's functionality without essentially disabling most of the
security measures that a system should have in place. Just as in order to
gain access to this site one must allow several Active X controls to be
downloaded and executed, and enable several cookies to be downloaded. Just
because an ActiveX control is 'singed' as safe, doesn't mean it is.

I should never be allowed to 'accidentally' download an executable image and
run it. This type of activity should only ever be allowed with administrator
priviledge - and should require active steps taken to explicitly allow each
and every occurance.

I had what I thought were quite restrictive security settings set up to
prevent such occurances, but unfortunately those settings failed. The fact
that MS products allow 'accidental' settings which allow this behaviour is
simply unacceptable.

The default settings should be to prevent anyone but the administrator to do
anything except run existing applications, and write to safe areas of the
registry, and file system.

*shout* Hey Microsoft - safe areas do not include the WinLogon/Notify key,
or the Windows/System32 directory. *end-shout* That's not a hard concept,
but it seems Microsoft is unable to grasp it.



"Jonathan Kay [MVP]" wrote:

> Greetings Smitty,
>
> There are no known exploits in Messenger.
>
> If you're getting viruses you're getting them through file transfers and then executing them
> from your contacts. Messenger won't even let you send executables through Messenger unless
> you have the option checked to do so and have an anti-virus application setup.
>
> --
> Jonathan Kay
> Microsoft MVP - Windows Live Messenger/MSN Messenger/Windows Messenger
> Associate Expert
> http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/
> Messenger Resources - http://messenger.jonathankay.com
> All posts unless otherwise specified are (c) 2006 Jonathan Kay.
> You *must* contact me for redistribution rights.
> --
>
> "Smitty" <> wrote in message
> news:E15E055D-F343-492F-A199-...
> >I installed Windows Messenger Live last Friday. By Wednesday of this week
> > viruses had managed to corrupt my system so badly that not a single
> > anti-virus application could cure the problem.
> >
> > What steps are Microsoft taking to tighten up on the security of Messenger
> > Live. It is simply unprofessional to be releasing software with such huge
> > security holes in it.
> >
> >
>
>
>

> Saying that there are no known exploits, then saying that it is possible to
> get them through files transfers - initiated by the product with no exploits
> - is rediculous.

Do you even know what an exploit is?

An exploit would be a method for an attacker to send you a file over WLM,
and then *force* you to accept the file transfer request. After that, the exe
would have to be run automatically. That's an exploit.

Saying a program has a security hole just because a user is stupid and runs
every exe they are sent, is, using your own words, simply ridiculous.

There is only so much a software company can do to counter a user's
inability to protect themselves. Besides the fact that the only way you can
get a virus is through a file transfer (which is then scanned when it's
downloaded), how can you be so sure that Windows Live Messenger is the
culprit? If anything, if 'viruses' corrupt your system, your 'anti-virus
software' is at fault, or not functioning correctly.


--
Edward Chow [1067064]
Windows Live Butterfly - Messenger


"Smitty" <> wrote in message
news:E15E055D-F343-492F-A199-...
>I installed Windows Messenger Live last Friday. By Wednesday of this week
> viruses had managed to corrupt my system so badly that not a single
> anti-virus application could cure the problem.
>
> What steps are Microsoft taking to tighten up on the security of Messenger
> Live. It is simply unprofessional to be releasing software with such huge
> security holes in it.
>
>

Oh, yes, sorry, forgot the MIcrosoft mantra - blame the user.

I should not have to take any extra steps to protect the operating system
from viruses.. In fact it should require extra steps to allow a virus to
infect my system.

Sadly this is not now, nor has it ever been, Microsofts mentality.

I cannot think of any other OS manufacturer which is so casual about security.

Basically MS doesn't care about quality, they care about sales. While this
is to be expected from a corporation, it is still sad.

Hi,

Have you tried to receive an executable in Messenger?

Firstly, you have to uncheck the box that rejects "unsafe files".
Secondly, you have to set up an anti-virus and let Messenger know about it (or use the
built-in offered safety scanner).
Thirdly, you have to click the Continue button when someone attempts to send.

That's three hoops to go through to transfer an unsafe file (which includes executables,
registry files, etc.). At the end of the day, security lies in the user. If you let someone
into your home and they murder you, is it the fault of the home? the door?

A computer is a tool. It is not intelligent, it is not smart. As I said before, there are
no presently known exploits in Messenger, so anything "infecting" your PC is either coming
another way or is the result of allowing such things.

Additionally, Messenger's new Sharing Folders feature ignores these options entirely and
won't allow executables to be sent at all. Also, the upcoming Windows Vista's default
security settings would prevent anything from infecting your PC through any exploit since it
doesn't give admin privileges to an application without prompting.

--
Jonathan Kay
Microsoft MVP - Windows Live Messenger/MSN Messenger/Windows Messenger
Associate Expert
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/
Messenger Resources - http://messenger.jonathankay.com
All posts unless otherwise specified are (c) 2006 Jonathan Kay.
You *must* contact me for redistribution rights.
--


"Smitty" <> wrote in message
news:43DBA140-E10B-4FB1-A378-...
> Oh, yes, sorry, forgot the MIcrosoft mantra - blame the user.
>
> I should not have to take any extra steps to protect the operating system
> from viruses.. In fact it should require extra steps to allow a virus to
> infect my system.
>
> Sadly this is not now, nor has it ever been, Microsofts mentality.
>
> I cannot think of any other OS manufacturer which is so casual about security.
>
> Basically MS doesn't care about quality, they care about sales. While this
> is to be expected from a corporation, it is still sad.

> Firstly, you have to uncheck the box that rejects "unsafe files".
> Secondly, you have to set up an anti-virus and let Messenger know about it (or use the
> built-in offered safety scanner).
> Thirdly, you have to click the Continue button when someone attempts to send.
>


What Operating System and Messenger client are we talking about here.

I was never prompted for 'unsafe files', and I never had to set any
configurations for Messenger to know about my Virus scanner.

This was a vanilla Windows XP Home edition onto which I downloaded
'Messenger Live', or whatever the most recent version of Messenger is called
these days.

So, either you and I are talking about totally different set-ups or you are
simply incorrect.

The last poster gave you some helpful info.

First, you are the one who accepts files. Only accept files that you
believe are safe. I know people who get viruses on their computers quite
frequently, and others, like me, who haven't had a virus in years. I take
precautions to avoid viruses, while others download files w/o knowing what
they are, don't get updates, and have no anti-virus software offering
real-time, updated protection.

Second, you sound like you don't know where you got the virus, so relax a
little bit instead of blaming WLM as if you are certain that is how you got
the virus. Do you keep your Windows updates up to date? Is your anti-virus
program up to date and set to real time protection?

Third, in WLM, go to "Tools" --> "Options" --> "File Transfer" to enable
scanning for viruses in file transfers. You can also set WLM to
automatically reject certain types of files.




>
> What Operating System and Messenger client are we talking about here.
>
> I was never prompted for 'unsafe files', and I never had to set any
> configurations for Messenger to know about my Virus scanner.
>
> This was a vanilla Windows XP Home edition onto which I downloaded
> 'Messenger Live', or whatever the most recent version of Messenger is called
> these days.
>
> So, either you and I are talking about totally different set-ups or you are
> simply incorrect.

Hi,

That's probably because you've never received any, you have to go through hoops to even send
them.

--
Jonathan Kay
Microsoft MVP - Windows Live Messenger/MSN Messenger/Windows Messenger
Associate Expert
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/
Messenger Resources - http://messenger.jonathankay.com
All posts unless otherwise specified are (c) 2006 Jonathan Kay.
You *must* contact me for redistribution rights.
--

"Smitty" <> wrote in message news:EEA3388A-84C7-4149-9A4A-
> I was never prompted for 'unsafe files', and I never had to set any
> configurations for Messenger to know about my Virus scanner.