email for security patch a hoax?

[Boris]

I received a few emails with sender name "Microsoft" and
subject "Use this patch immediately!"...are these real or
hoaxes?

 

[Guest]

----- Boris wrote: ----

I received a few emails with sender name "Microsoft" and
subject "Use this patch immediately!"...are these real or
hoaxes

If you had a decent Virus scanner you would know that it is a hoax and the e/mail attachment contains a virus

 

[Bob Harris]

Microsoft NEVER sends such emails.

If you want updates, YOU need to ask for them, using the built-in XP Update
feature.

 

[Guest]

cool thanks - just wanted to make sure....

-----Original Message-----
Microsoft NEVER sends such emails.

If you want updates, YOU need to ask for them, using the built-in XP Update
feature.





.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

What you're apparently receiving is the output of a computer
infected by one of several widely publicized, wide-spread, mass
emailing worms. The virus' authors have deliberately spoofed the
Microsoft information in the hopes of garnering more victims. This
sort of email has been very common for at the last year or more. The
most widely-known are:

W32.Swen.A_mm
http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/[email protected]

W32.Dumaru_mm
http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/[email protected]

W32.Gibe_mm
http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/[email protected]

Trojan.Xombe
http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/trojan.xombe.html

Microsoft never has, does not currently, and very probably never
will email unsolicited security patches. At the most, if, and only
if, you subscribe to their security notification newsletter, they will
send you an email informing you that a new patch is available for
downloading.

Microsoft Policies on Software Distribution
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/?url=/technet/security/policy/swdist.asp

Information on Bogus Microsoft Security Bulletin Emails
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/security/news/patch_hoax.asp

How to Tell If a Microsoft Security-Related Message Is Genuine
http://www.microsoft.com/security/antivirus/authenticate_mail.asp

Remember, any and all legitimate patches and updates are readily
available at http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/. You should develop
the habit of checking this site at least once a month to keep your
computer up-to-date. (Notice that this is the true URL, rather than
the bogus one that may have been contained in the email you received.)
Any messages that point to any other source(s) or claim to have the
patch attached are bogus.

You're receiving these emails because your email address is in
the address book of someone infected with a worm, and/or because you
posted your real email address somewhere on-line, either in a forum
accessible to the public and spambots, such as Usenet, or on an
untrustworthy web site that subsequently sold your address as part of
a mailing list. One thing you can do is notify _everyone_ with whom
you've ever corresponded via email that one or more of them may be
infected with a mass emailing worm, and should take the appropriate
steps. You can also ask your ISP to take steps to preclude their mail
server from passing on such emails. Many ISPs have such filtering
capabilities.


Bruce Chambers
--
Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. - RAH

 

[John]

Thanks for all the information Bruce. I received a
similar email today and it looks like it's genuinely from
Microsoft. I was suspicious not only because I have
never received an email update from Microsoft, but also
that the attached "update" came in the form of an
executable file. BIG red flag there.

John

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

You're welcome.

Bruce Chambers
--
Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. - RAH