NEWS Microsoft acknowledged on Monday it continued to battle a technical glitch that prevented MSN users from logging on to the service's instant-messaging system, MSN Messenger, for the past three days. The problems, which several users complained about on discussion forums frequented by network administrators, caused several hours of outages on Monday morning.
The problems also coincided with the emergence of a new computer virus, known as Funner, that spreads using the MSN instant-messaging service and tries to direct people to a website, www.78p.com. However, security software firm Symantec found no evidence that the virus, which had only spread to a small number of PCs, had caused any disruptions.
Oliver Friedrichs, senior director of Symantec's security response team, said: "From what we have been able to see, it tries to send itself out to all of your MSN Messenger contacts. But we have only seen about 34 submissions in the last 24 hours - really not that significant."
The virus changes the configuration of an infected computer so that users who try to browse to one of more than 900 websites will be redirected to www.78p.com, according to information on Symantec's website. The virus may also attempt to download additional functionality from the site. The site, however, appears to be down.
By early afternoon on Monday, a representative of Microsoft said the company had fixed the issues that had prevented its users from logging on to Messenger.
The spokesperson said at 1 pm PDT: "The system is now back up and running. We believe that the problem is now fixed." The spokesperson did not comment on whether there was a connection between the new virus and the outage.
The spokesperson would not give further details about the problem, except to say that the Monday morning outage was due to "administrative maintenance".
The latest outage for the Microsoft Network was the focus of a discussion among network administrators on the mailing list for the North American Network Operators Group.
One member, who did not know until he saw the discussion that the problem was more widespread. said: "Problems were going on all day [Sunday]. Good to know that I am not alone."
Robert Lemos writes for CNET News.com
Comments
There are 15 comments. Join the discussion
1. anonymous
MSN may have said the problem was corrected, but I still can't get a website.
2. John Lawrence
My whole MSN service is still down as of today. If it is not corrected soon I will most likely drop them completely.
3. anonymous
everytime i try to get in to read my email on msn i get booted off. what do i do?
4. anonymous
I do not think is fix yet couse a still have the problem login in to msn
that in my job computer to.is been all ready a week with the problem
5. anonymous
I can get into MSN Messenger, but not into the ZONE
6. anonymous
how do you get into your email box I have had so much trouble for the past weeek
7. anonymous
It is monday the 18 of Oct. and we still have no messenger service .
8. anonymous
wed 20th oct,microsoft connections still down although they state no problems when asked tech support on phone tues 19th.
9. anonymous
Like the rest of you i have been unable to log into my MSN messenger service for the past several days. I click the sign in button and it tries to log me in but than it just returns to the login page. This is very agrevating. I hope the problem can be resolved soon, i would hate to have to chamge my messenger service but if it comes down to it i will.
10. anonymous
i still cannot sign into msn messenger, it keeps saying that i have no internet connection.
11. anonymous
I have not been able to get into msn messenger for at least 2 weeks now i have tried everything and cant get to my e mails or go online
12. anonymous
my messenger is still not connecting i think the virus have not been fixed yet.
13. welse
the virus is still her... and every time one of my contacts sign in... it sends them the virus aswell and then i can not talk to them??
14. anonymous
i had no idea that 'funny' or 'www.78p.com' was a virus.i got the virus on sunday and have deleted any trace of it on my computer. Yet when ever i'm on msn and one of my contacts loggs on it sends it 2 them and won't let me IM ne1. Can someone help me please
Elle
15. anonymous
i dont think the virus has been cleared up because i just recieved the site on my msn and i didnt know it was a virus. it came from a person i know and all the other people on her contacts got it too.