Stop pop-ups

Pop-ups are the unwanted advertisements that open up suddenly while working online and may block the users’ activities. They are said to be advertising on the Web and are intended to attract web traffic or may be to track email addresses. They are divided into three types:
• General browser pop-ups.
• Messenger Service advertisements.
• Pop-ups generated by adware and spyware.
General browser pop-ups can be stopped by installing a pop-up blocker. These pop-up windows display advertisements that sometimes prevent the users to see the content on the web page. Pop-ups can be stopped by adding the Ad related Domains to Restricted Zone in Internet Explorer. Microsoft latest Windows XP Service Pack 2 includes a built-in Pop-up blocker too.
If the title bar of the pop-up reads MESSENGER SERVICE and is equipped with gray Ads, then it the Messenger SPAM. It is responsible for transferring text-based messages and reach the users’ systems because someone is transmitting data to the users’ computer via TCP ports 135, 139 and 445 137 and UDP ports 135, 137, and 138 and an intruder can easily reach the users’ system through these open ports. It applies on Windows 2000 and Windows XP only. These pop-ups can be stopped by disabling the Messenger Service. But due to security reasons, this type of pop-ups should be completely stopped by installing a firewall application or use Windows XP Firewall which turns off Messenger Service by default.
Pop-ups generated by Ad-ware & Spyware cause the same effect as common browser pop-ups but are usually powered by Browser Helper Objects such as ActiveX controls which transmit the user private information to other servers without users’ knowledge. It is also a waste of internet bandwidth. So, anti-spyware tools like Ad-Aware, Spybot Search & Destroy, etc should also be installed and regularly updated along with the anti-virus to stop pop-ups.
To stop pop-ups from popping up repeatedly, the following a few measures that can prove helpful:
• Increase the browser’s security settings.
• Always use an application-based firewall as they alert the user whenever an unknown intruder such as dialers, Trojans or application is detected to reach the system and its data, e.g. Zone Alarm, Sygate etc.
• Keep the firewall completely configured and updated.
The user can also change his system’s Pop-up Blocker settings to stop pop-ups. This can be done by:
• Opening Internet Explorer.
• Now, on the Tools > Pop-up Blocker > Pop-up Blocker Settings.
• The user can also allow pop-up windows from a specific Web site by typing the address (or URL) of the site in the Address of Web site to allow box, and then press Add.
• If the user wishes to temporarily allow a web site to display its pop-ups, then click Information Bar when it notifies the user that a pop-up has been blocked and click Temporarily Allow Pop-ups.