What's with these ads over IM?

Ok I got use to my ICQ always getting 12 porno ads every night while I was sleeping. But now I'm sitting at work and my AIM gets hit with porn ads now and then, which is kind of embarrassing. Does anyone else get this problem? I'm not really all that worried about it, but I'm just wondering if this might be a secuirty issue, like with the Windows Messanger service that you would have to disable so you didn't get those stupid annoying dialog box ads. Anyone know what I'm talking about or can help?

Thanks,
AciD

did u try closing the Messenger service .. i suppose u did ... just a suggestion :)... maybe it'll help if u didnt do it .... i use AIM and i dont have any Ads popin Up .... my messenger service is disabled :)

I never get them. Mostly because I put my setting not to receive any messages from people who are not on my list and because I use non-traditional IM client (centericq for linux; trillian for windows).

Helps deal with those "annoying" dialogs. ;)

Yeah I disabled the messanger service, here at work we kept getting bombed with those damn things. And I was thinking of doing that, but then I feel bad because there are people who randomly message from work asking questions, so I don't want to block them out. It's one of those things I can live with, just wondering if was happening to anyone else or if anyone knew how to stop it (like blocking a port or something).

Thanks

If your talking about what i'm thinking about. Then it isn't a security flaw at all, just a lame way to spam porn.

Basically companies are registering tons of SN's. And using bots to mass IM.

Imagine brute forcing, but instead of one username and trying combinations of passwords, its one service (AIM/ICQ) and trying combinations of working/online Screen names. If you're offline, or the SN just doesn't exist, they just try the next letter, number, whatever - do this enough times and your SN will eventually come up. :(

that sucks, so I guess no real way of blocking it then huh? Man damn porn people! Thanks for the tip, it's what I was thinking but wasn't sure.

I just have a hunch, I don't get any porn IMs on my AIM account, but my friend does...
I'm just wondering if in the preferences (I don't know exactly where for PC, I'm on Mac, but I know there has to be something similar) there is something called "Account Settings" and somethng that is called "Information Availability" I have it set so that "With my e-mail address users can learn: Nothing about me."
Perhaps the spammers that flood your hotmail/yahoo/etc accounts with porn have gone through AIM's directory and found your AIM sn.

For ICQ, I imagine that since it is also an AOL application that is must do something similar.

This is all I can surmise.

Peace,
Dhej (who just remembered that he hasn't cleaned out his hotmail account in 3 days so it is full of spam, but then I use it as a spam-trap so what do I expect really. 10 filters getting rid of all the disgusting titles, and still I get 250+ emails every 3 days...)

There are two solutions.
1.) set up AIM to not recive messages form unknown users. (this is what I do at home, but its not very pratical at work)
2.) Convince the office ot set up a Jabber server (or something similar) and run a coperate message server, then you controll who can register.

Acid,

Can you not add the necessary people and then change your settings so that you don't receive messages from those not on your list?

Dhej - thanks for the tip. I know what you are talking about and am going to try that.

bballad - I would try that, but technically we aren't supposed to be running IM service... they don't want us "destracted from working". But we all use it because of being in different offices.

MsMittens - The problem is that I work at a big university, so sometimes it's staff members, other times it's students, so I can't really just add everyone.

I get those too sometimes. What i generally do is as soon as they message me just hit block. then you wont get those messages again. Well atleast from those same people.

PeacE
-BoB

Quote:

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Originally posted here by [WebCarnage]
If your talking about what i'm thinking about. Then it isn't a security flaw at all, just a lame way to spam porn.

Basically companies are registering tons of SN's. And using bots to mass IM.

Imagine brute forcing, but instead of one username and trying combinations of passwords, its one service (AIM/ICQ) and trying combinations of working/online Screen names. If you're offline, or the SN just doesn't exist, they just try the next letter, number, whatever - do this enough times and your SN will eventually come up. :(

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hes right, and many companies go to chat rooms with bots and have them auto-collect user names via messaging them.

dosnt AIM ask if you want to receive messages from such and such a user if your setting only allow those on your list?...i know MSM does and thought AIM did to.

Quote:

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Originally posted here by Tedob1
dosnt AIM ask if you want to receive messages from such and such a user if your setting only allow those on your list?...i know MSM does and thought AIM did to.

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I do????

it does but it's an auto pop up dialog box... so I'll be typing and it will come across and then it sometime all the time selects yes...then I get the whole "Hot gay lesbian lovers here"