Are you tired of "pop up" messages stopping you from using your home computer until you close them? Pop up spam is annoying and may be a signal that your home computer is open to hackers. The Utah Cybercrimes Task Force (UCTF) has some simple advice to protect you from spammers and hackers trying to break into your home computer.

"These pop ups are more than a nuisance,"says Terry Powell, UCTF Director and an investigator for the Attorney General's Office. "They can be used to spread malicious viruses, install new programs, change and delete data and even create new accounts that give full access to your computer."

Pop up spammers are exploiting a feature of the Microsoft Windows operating systems known as Messenger Service. Disabling the messenger service will prevent the possibility of pop up spam. Here are a few ways to disable the messenger service:

Click Start, and then click Control Panel (or point to Settings, and then click Control Panel). Double-click Administrative Tools. Double-click Services. Double-click Messenger. In the Startup type list, click Disabled. Click Stop, and then click OK.

Or you can try this for Windows XP: Open Services by clicking Start, then Run, and now type services.msc in the open box. Now click OK to start Services, which will allow you to stop, start and configure Windows services. Once you find Messenger by scrolling down the task bar, right click on Messenger and then click Properties to bring up the options for Messenger. In the middle of the Messenger properties box find the Startup Type box and use the down arrow to choose Disabled, and then click OK to set.

"These tips should help a lot of people but it may not work on computers that use operating systems older than Windows 2000," says Scott Morrill, Information Technologies Manager at the Attorney General's Office. "Check your Help button in the Start Menu or consult your network administrator if you have any questions."

If your home computer is connected only to the Internet, you may not have any practical uses for Windows Messenger Service. If your computer is on a business or home network, you may want to check to see if your network administrator uses the service. If it is being used, your network should be protected by a firewall.

Some recently released operating system software comes with a built-in firewall but sometimes the software is shipped in the "off" mode. Check your online Help feature for specifics about turning it on and setting it up properly. You can also buy a hardware firewall or get several free firewall software programs on the Internet. You can find one by typing "free firewall" into your favorite search engine. Like anti-virus software, a firewall needs to be updated regularly to stay effective.

If you want to complain about a deceptive pop up spam message, use the Federal Trade Commission's online complaint form at www.ftc.gov.  You can also contact UCTF to complain about crimes committed with computers, i.e. Internet fraud, identity theft, computer intrusion, computer extortion and cyber stalking. Find out how to report a computer-related crime at http://www.attorneygeneral.utah.gov/CA/cybercrime.htm.

3:25:56 PM