# Messenger Plus has spy wear

Category: Geeks r Us

## Post 1 by Jess227 on Wednesday, 16-Nov-2005 1:02:37

I had a computer repair service person check my computer for spywear. I noticed Messenger Plus was removed. I redownloaded but never installed it. I checked using Microsoft's Anti Spywear software checker and found the following that could've played a roll in my computer acting up.
Messenger Plus
Software Bundler
Moderate Threat
But when removed redoing the scan it shows nothing. So please if you download Messenger Plus please do a spywear scan and a virus scan on it before installing. My recommendation is to get rid of it all together (Messenger Plus). Messenger Plus's website states that Microsoft is accusing them for the spywear but well goes to show ya spywear detectors don't lie. I thought since some or most of you use Messenger Plus to cordinate MSN Messenger this is just a piece of info to take into consideration: Scan Messenger and Messenger Plus for spywear.

## Post 2 by chocolab (move over school!) on Wednesday, 16-Nov-2005 2:02:27

You clicked the button to install it, you can not only make it not be installed but if it is, they will remove it. The oler versions it was harder to remove.

## Post 3 by Harp (I've now got the bronze prolific poster award! now going for the silver award!) on Wednesday, 16-Nov-2005 3:45:22

the thing always to remember when installing messenger plus is never to install the sponsers program with it. that is actually where the spy where comes from and not messenger plus itself. if you do that you'll be fine.

## Post 4 by Jess227 on Wednesday, 16-Nov-2005 13:15:48

I didn't click on the sponsor's button. I made sure of it. I remember blind-bandit telling me about it but still the techie guy found loads of spywear on it and the sponsor thing wasn't checked.
Besides I only used Plus for the custom away messages and names thing. Nothing major if MSN Messenger can add those two items onto it's program then no need for a sperate program to do all that for you.

## Post 5 by Harp (I've now got the bronze prolific poster award! now going for the silver award!) on Wednesday, 16-Nov-2005 14:07:42

hmm, are you sure it came from plus then? i mean many other people use it and i've never heard of these problems before. i've heard many complaints from people who did install the sponser program but never without.
do you use programs such as Ad-Aware and spy bot etc to clean your system of these things? if not then you will have lots of spy where. you pick it up from all sorts of places online.
i just can't see how the problem can have come from plus. after all, if it had then why are you the only person to have had these problems?

## Post 6 by BB (move over school!) on Wednesday, 16-Nov-2005 16:23:03

Hey,
I use messenger plus too, and after making sure that the sponsor software wasn't installed. I did a check and found no spy ware from it.
BB

## Post 7 by Jess227 on Wednesday, 16-Nov-2005 17:17:05

I use MS Anti-Spywear. I had 19 pieces of spywear on my computer when it was all said and done. If my computer crashed one more time I would've had to reformat. I'm positive it had it. I wouldn't lie.

## Post 8 by ArtRock1224 (move over school!) on Wednesday, 16-Nov-2005 18:07:12

I never could get MS anti spyware to work with jaws...any suggestions? Spybot and adaware really aren't enough.

## Post 9 by Toonhead71 (move over school!) on Wednesday, 16-Nov-2005 19:29:26

Well folks, there's your problem! MS Antispyware is *incorrectly* flagging Messenger Plus! as spywere. it is not. If you happen to use Ms Antispyware, the definitions have been updated and will no longer flag msgplus.exe as a problem. It's been this way since September 23rd. Go to the msgplus.net site and then click on news. A ways down you'll see exactly what I'm talking about. Ah hell, I'll just go ahead and paste it here.
Microsoft AntiSpyware steps back! - 24/09/2005
We have yet to receive an official answer from Microsoft regarding the problems caused by their AntiSpyware product, however, it seems that they have finally
started to realize some of their mistakes! An update was made to the spyware definition files on September 23rd and the msgplus.exe program is not detected
as a threat at run time anymore! (like this:
see previous warning)
this is a huge success for Messenger Plus! as this problem was the very reason that triggered the need for a petition in August. This step back from MSAS
is proof alone that some parts of the add-on were indeed flagged incorrectly and that we didn't fight for nothing. You can be sure that the support you
gave to Messenger Plus! on so many internet sites and forums, in addition to the petition, is what made this change a reality. In any case, msgplus.exe
is not falsely accused of things it does not do anymore and that's all what matters.
We would like to thank Microsoft for taking this matter seriously and not ignoring what their users had to say about this issue. There are still several
problems surrounding the detection and removal of Messenger Plus! and its sponsor program but we hope that we will be able to work on that together as
well in the near future.
The MSAS Petition has been sent - 20/09/2005
In only 4 weeks, you've been more than 400,000 to sign the
MSAS petition.
This number is simply incredible, especially if you consider that when the petition was closed, tens of thousands of new signatures were still being added
every day. In any case, we think that 401,683 signature (final number obtained after excluding invalid/duplicate entries) should be enough to attain our
objectives and if it doesn't, more signatures would probably not have been of much help.
The complete listing of signatures, which includes your contact information and comments, has been printed and sent to Microsoft today. The document was
formatted with Times New Roman 9pt with borders size at minimum but still achieved to be 10,137 pages long! That's about 110 pounds (50Kg) of written support
so thanks again for your help everyone :). Of course, as the petition was sent under all of your names, the results will be made public when and if Microsoft
sends us a reply. I sincerely don't want this issue to go any further and I'm counting on Microsoft to realize that it's in the best interest of everyone
to solve that detection/removal problem.

## Post 10 by Jess227 on Wednesday, 16-Nov-2005 21:58:51

If they got rid of the sponsor program altogether then I'd be happy to reinstall it. But like I said the person who did the maintance on my computer is a licensed and train person. Otherwise I would've fired him a long time ago. And secondly I didn't say stop using it. I said I recommend you stop using it if you feel that it's causing problems. I can't afford a reformat or a new computer so there.

## Post 11 by Harp (I've now got the bronze prolific poster award! now going for the silver award!) on Thursday, 17-Nov-2005 4:01:41

lol. no need to get petulant. we were mearly pointing out that we didn't believe your problems to have come from messenger plus itself.

## Post 12 by The Shuck Fitter (My name is Liam) on Friday, 18-Nov-2005 14:38:56

remember that microsoft antispyware has a habit of finding things that aren't spyware, but it thinks they are.