Windows Live Messenger ads serve up malware

[tinyvillager]

Just a heads up.

Source: http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2183789/windows-live-messenger-serves

"The banners inside the Windows Live Messenger advertised Errorsafe, an application that claims to detect and repair computer problems. The software is notorious because it often gets installed without the user's permission and because it presents false security warnings that are intended to make the user purchase a licensed copy of the software."

/rant
It's been said a million times before but why does a chat program need ads in this day and age ?

[f0dder]

/rant
It's been said a million times before but why does a chat program need ads in this day and age ?

Because it's a free service, and nothing is really free?

I stick to the old non-live versions of MSN when I need the real client, and patched to hide ads (mess.be or apatch or whatever), and Miranda during daily use.

The real nasty thing would be if banner ads with exploit code were served...

[xingus]

When do stupid users finally get it: "there is no such thing as a free meal!".

Of course, MS has to pay their engineers. Only brainless idiots do not understand the basics. Same goes for "Errorsafe". Do people really believe they do it for free? Geeeeee.

Xingus

[dk70]

Ive seen Errorsafe at Youtube so why complain?

You probably wont find Google, Microsoft officially approve of Errorsafe ads but what happens. Why should ad approval be bugfree? There is also the type of ads where you know product/shop/whatever is crap without being directly evil to user. How advertising and internet works. Could be a long debate why Errorsafe is so much worse than some other ads.

May be a good idea to be suspicious towards any output from a program which encourage you to pay for background, winks, icons etc.

[jgpaiva]

Now... What is really insteresting is what you get when you try to access their site through google: http://www.google.com/interstitial?url=http://www.errorsafe.com/
I've never seen such page! Pretty cool

[Nighted]

Remove the ads then. Use A-Patch or Mess Patch. I prefer A-Patch myself, but you may prefer the other.

My A-Patch settings are attached if you want to import them. It's easily reversed for making changes if you check the backup option.

Here's what my MSN Live looks like after:

[Terry]

You can also try Clean Messenger to remove the ads

[dk70]

Convenient but illegal 

[Carol Haynes]

I prefer A-Patch myself, but you may prefer the other.

As I understand it A-Patch lets you set up WLM to be accessed from different hotmail accounts (there is an option during the patching) - but how exactly does it work? I can't seem to find any way to login with more than one ID at a time ???

[Nighted]

Carol, I think you are referring to the feature that let's you run multiple instances of messenger. The only client I know of that can do what you want is Trillian.

[jgpaiva]

Carol Haynes: just set msn polygamy on a-patch and then launch msn more than once. the second time you launch it, you can use a different ID.

[f0dder]

Convenient but illegal 

Dunno about that, really - I don't think using apatch or mess.be can be classified as illegal, and I'm not even sure if the creation of those tools were illegal (there's no "circumvention of protection" involved; on the other hand, it's not a case of RE being used for interop either).

[Carol Haynes]

Carol, I think you are referring to the feature that let's you run multiple instances of messenger. The only client I know of that can do what you want is Trillian.

Thanks - simple solutions are the best

Re Illegal - why? OK it may violate the MS EULA for WLM but that is a civil issue not a criminal issue and it would mean MS would have to prosecute individuals who use the patch - seems unlikely that it would be worth their while some how!

[dk70]

Yeah, safe to use of course but because patches work like many other cracks it is normally not permitted to link to such files, on forums like DC. Was just wondering that there are good cracks and bad cracks I think there is but probably not from MS point of view. This is getting rid of annoyances you already paid for, not the usual effect of a crack but still modifying holy files.

Hirens Boot CD http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiren's_boot_CD Ive also seen talked about like it was just a nifty tool anyone should have. Strange it does not come up in a search here, it should. Some of those places will definitely not permit linking to other cracks/warez. But this cd is generally approved for public consumption like WLM patches are. I got that cd too.

[Carol Haynes]

Shame it isn't available for download from the official site ... trouble is if you download it elsewhere how do you know if it is 'what it says on the box'?

[f0dder]

Shame it isn't available for download from the official site ... trouble is if you download it elsewhere how do you know if it is 'what it says on the box'?

Get somebody you trust that has it to give you the md5sum of the iso image? *shrug*. I did wonder how he could get away with offering the download, considering the stuff on it... seems like he couldn't . Never grabbed a copy myself, I get by fine without it.

[dk70]

http://thepiratebay.org/tor/3626266/Hirens_Boot_Cd_8.8_ notice comment at bottom. May be not true but there is a reason tool often appear more than once at places like Piratebay. People usually are helpful in evaluating downloads so if you wait some days after "release" you should be safe.

I once had a site bookmarked which were all about Hirens and ways to improve it, add extra funtions, make it work from usb drive etc. Pretty sure he offered "safe" downloads. Think it was a Danish site in English. Lost it but may be Google can help.