Regarding Msgplus 3.63 security - Printable Version
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+----- Thread: Regarding Msgplus 3.63 security (/showthread.php?tid=59363)
Regarding Msgplus 3.63 security by SyNcHrOcYcLoTrOn on 05-14-2006 at 02:48 AM
Hello, I would like to ask a question regarding Msgplus 3.63, which is the latest version.
In Sypher's Plus! FAQ Sticky in the MsgPlus! Help & Support section, his post says that "Microsoft Anti-Spyware / some other anti-spyware program says Plus! still has spyware, but I haven't installed the sponsor!
Some anti-spyware applications give out false warnings. If you haven't installed the Sponsor, you don't have it.. Period."
However in the past versions of Msgplus that I've used [version 3.62 and before], ZoneAlarm has never displayed any security alerts for me, and 3.63 is the only version which will trigger that alert. May I ask if there is any major changes made in 3.63 or does it really have any capabilities to record all my user input?
I have not installed the free sponsor program that comes along with the Msgplus installer, and in the Messenger Plus! - Preferences, I have left the "Allow Plus! to send anonymous, numerical statistics periodically" box unchecked.
Would anyone kindly help me with the problem? Thanks in advance!
RE: Regarding Msgplus 3.63 security by ShawnZ on 05-14-2006 at 03:00 AM
Zone Alarm throws that message ALL THE FREAKING TIME. I got so sick of seeing it from every program that I just uninstalled zonealarm.
RE: Regarding Msgplus 3.63 security by Sypher on 05-14-2006 at 11:07 AM
You could've ticked the box? 
RE: Regarding Msgplus 3.63 security by absorbation on 05-14-2006 at 11:16 AM
Major changes would be the way it hookes onto MSN and Windows Live Messenger, so they can work together. Also the sponsor has been updated to be more user friendly. Other than that Messenger Plus! should work just the same. 
RE: Regarding Msgplus 3.63 security by Eljay on 05-14-2006 at 12:06 PM
quote:
Originally posted by kevinlau7
I think the security alert from Zone Alarm is because of the chat logging feature in messenger plus
its not for chat logging, its for keyboard shortcuts such as formatting (Ctrl+B, etc) or messenger lock.
RE: Regarding Msgplus 3.63 security by John Anderton on 05-14-2006 at 12:45 PM
quote:Like shawnz said it does it all the time. Just ignore it. Because the message is for plus waiting for certain key combinations inside the msn window such as crtl+r,crtl+b and for other global ones such as boss protection.
Originally posted by ShawnZ
Zone Alarm throws that message ALL THE FREAKING TIME.
Since thats the reason, you should just ignore and allow plus to do its job. Trust me cause ive been doing it for ages without a problem
RE: Regarding Msgplus 3.63 security by CookieRevised on 05-14-2006 at 02:59 PM
quote:No...
Originally posted by kevinlau7
I think the security alert from Zone Alarm is because of the chat logging feature in messenger plus
Chat logging does mean keystroke spying and recording. Plus! does not log keystrokes or whatever, the only thing that "chat logging" does is saving the incomming and outgoing lines of text to a file at regular intervals.
Eljay said it correctly. The security alert you get from ZoneAlarm is because Plus! uses (as almost any other program!) some hotkeys so you can quickly perform an action (eg: messenger lock, boss key, etc). There is absolutely nothing dodgy or out of the ordinairy about this! Again, thousands of programs do this very same basic stuff.
quote:Messenger Plus! has absolutely _no_ capabilities to record keystrokes. It never has and never will be.
Originally posted by SyNcHrOcYcLoTrOn
However in the past versions of Msgplus that I've used [version 3.62 and before], ZoneAlarm has never displayed any security alerts for me, and 3.63 is the only version which will trigger that alert. May I ask if there is any major changes made in 3.63 or does it really have any capabilities to record all my user input?
In fact, even the optional adware sponsor does not have those capabilities. And even if it did (which it dont!) you still had to install the sponsor for it to be 'recording'.
quote:The "send anonymous numerical data" has got nothing todo with all the above. What this function does is nothing more than sending what features are used the most, so Patchou knows which features are the most popular and should be improved in later versions. This is send, anonymously, in the form of some numbers (eg: if custom sounds are used it sends "cs=1" for example). It does not contain any sort of personal data what-so-ever and of any kind, nor does it "record and store" anything, not even your IP.
Originally posted by SyNcHrOcYcLoTrOn
I have not installed the free sponsor program that comes along with the Msgplus installer, and in the Messenger Plus! - Preferences, I have left the "Allow Plus! to send anonymous, numerical statistics periodically" box unchecked.
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In other words, there is nothing to worry about. Nothing spies, records or whatever on you.
(And even if you do enable "send anonymous numerical data", it will not record anything other than some stats of the used features. Nobody, including Patchou, will ever know such most used feature data comes from anybody)
The reason why programs such as ZoneAlarm trigger alerts is quite often because they are set up to strictly. Strict settings might sound good, but in fact is very bad. Sure it warns you about some stuff. But then again, it will warn you about anything (even totally basic stuff done in thousand of programs), and that on its turn quite often leads to:
1) believing the program is bad/malicious, while it is absolutely safe
2) Giving false information to the user.
3) Give the user the pretention that the detection program is quite good, while in fact it gives more false detection than anything else and therefor is quite bad as there is no destinction anymore between what is really bad and what is a false detection.