There's a new and annoying form of spam that relies on Windows NT's built-in direct IP messenger service. These messages, which appear as regular Windows message-and-OK-button dialogs, are not a security threat, although their root cause—open ports—can be. This solution only prevents the messages from reaching you— it does not actually stop the problem at its source.
To prevent this, first of all you should install a firewall such as ZoneAlarm, but since this will not completely fix the problem, just follow these simple directions. Before you continue, make sure you have administrative access.
- Control Panel
- Administrative Tools
- Services
- Messenger
- Stop Service
- Properties
- Startup type: Manual
These instructions were written based on Windows 2000, but other operating systems should be similar.
By turning of the messenger, you are stopping a program that has ligitimate purposes, but since most people do not use it, it is probably best to turn it off.