Shoutbox

I think I've found a bug in MSN 7.5.0322. As Patchou has some communication with Microsoft's MSN development department, I thought I might get an answer (and/or a solution) here.

THE STORY

I was talking with some friends in a multiple conversation and I wanted them to check one of my site's sections which url is http://ingosranch.gameshunters.com/staff.php so I did what I wanted, I sent them the link... but what's that? One of my friends got booted from the conversation because she had "Network problems".

We thought "Hey, it happens" so I just re-added her and sent the link again. This time, my other friend got disconnected. Ok, MSN is having some problems, right? Added her again, tried sending the link again. This time it was me who got disconnected. Hold on a second. I believe I saw a pattern here! Yes, the url!

I created another multiple conversation and waited for 5 minutes, then sent the link again. Inmediatly after the disconnection happenned again. Ok, so if I type "http://ingosranch.gameshunters.com/staff.php", they'll get out. Let's try to get rid of the http protocol...

"ingosranch.gameshunters.com/staff.php"

*POOF*, the disconneciton happens again. Well, perhaps it's the resource. Let's get rid of it.

"http://ingosranch.gameshunters.com"

Hmm.. nothing. Let's try writing "staff.php". Yeah, there it is; good ol' friend "Network problems". Now I know what the problem is. The question now is WHY. Let's ask xxxx! He knows about computers, he might know.

"Hey xxxx, do you know why my friends get disconnected when I type "staff.php"?"

.... 10 minutes

"Well, do you?"
"- Uh?"

So, he didn't get the message... let's type it again. No, he didn't get it... Ok, you should have got it by now, don't you?


IN RESUME

If you ever try to use the word "staff.php", the message won't arrive at all. If you send "bla bla bla staff.php bla bla bla" it won't arrive either. If you ever try to use the "staff.php" word in a multiple conversation, the conversation will end (or one of the participants will be disconnected for having "network problems"). I've been testing for a while, and after 2 hours, this is what I've came up with:

THE CHART

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
---- Case ------- Plugins Comp A ----- Plugins Comp B ---- Result -----
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
---- A to B ----- MsgPlus!, Apatch ------ MsgPlus! ---------- Error ------
---- B to A ----- MsgPlus!, Apatch ------ MsgPlus! ---------- Error ------
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
---- A to B ----- MsgPlus!, Apatch --------- Nothing --------- Error ------
---- B to A ----- MsgPlus!, Apatch --------- Nothing --------- Error ------
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
---- A to B ----------- Nothing -------------- Nothing ---------- Error ------
---- B to A ----------- Nothing -------------- Nothing ---------- Error ------
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
---- A to B ---------- Trillian -------- MsgPlus!, Apatch ------- Error ------
---- B to A ---------- Trillian -------- MsgPlus!, Apatch ------- Error ------
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

THE CONCLUSION

So I conclude that the problem is in MSN and not in a plugin (Haven't tried with Trillian to Trillian though). I'm asking you to test this with as many variations as you can to see what comes up and, if something is indeed wrong, try to fix it.

THE PROOF (You can try it yourself too)

Here's a picture of a conversation I had with a friend, testing the staff.php:



THE POSSIBLE REASON

And finally, I don't know wether if this has something to do with it or not, but after a quick search I found about the "pearl jam tribute" virus, which uses an url that includes the word "staff.php" to spread. Perhaps it's a "security response" from Microsoft (a very dumb one, if you ask me) or perhaps not.

THE UPDATES

UPDATE MSN for MAC has the same problem.

UPDATE Word in uppercase (STAFF.PHP) has no problems. Same goes for STAFF.php and staff.PHP or any middle uppercase like stAff.php or staff.pHp

UPDATE Word has no effect if on Nickname.

UPDATE E-messenger has the problem too.

UPDTATE download.php has the same effect as staff.php....

MSN Plus should be MsgPlus! but other then that great bug report You should contact MSN about this and ask them for an explination. I will try to test this in WLM

Sorry about that. I've changed MSN Plus to MsgPlus!

I want to contact MSN about this, but first I want to make sure this happens to everybody and in which cases it does and which ones it does not (Like the uppercase case, it'll only work with lowercase letters).

I tried this on msn version 7.5 and now will be tring on WLM

Tested with e-messenger with the same results as above.

This lead me to think that the MSN 7.5.0322 is not the problem, for it lies in the way MSN manages information.

have u tried the reccent build of 7.5.0324?

Bug confirmed in WLM (if you can call it a bug ). Looks more to me like something MSN intentionally filters out, not unlike ".pif"

Wow, this is new news, I think I will have to make a post about it

Cool! It really works!
That's the most weird bug I've ever seen!

quote:

---

Originally posted by Animal
have u tried the reccent build of 7.5.0324?

---

Tested. It's the same.

quote:

---

Originally posted by haydn
Bug confirmed in WLM (if you can call it a bug ). Looks more to me like something MSN intentionally filters out, not unlike ".pif"

---

Yes, it seems like MSN is filtering it out. The possible answer is that they are doing this to avoid this virus:

http://forum.mess.be/index.php?showtopic=9191

quote:

---

It will come like this
<Your SN>
Why are you on this staff list?
<Your SN>
www.pearljamtribute.com/staff.php?<the contact's address>.exe (Or something along those lines...)

It then puts files on your computer (which as yet I haven't found, and its not like any of the other viruses like that, believe me, posting this here is a last resort).

---

There you have it, staff.php in the url. It's the only answer I can think of.

UPDATE Try it out with download.php!