email update from microsoft

  • Thread starter Thread starter ian kelly
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I

ian kelly

could anyone tell me if microsoft are sending out updates
by email, ive never heard of this and got an update by
email today ???? with exe file attached virus checker
didnt pick it up (MS Security Support
[[email protected]]) with file pack.exe.safe
is this a hoax ???? any1
 
Ian --

You did not receive an update notification from Microsoft. You
received a virus-laden email message from a devious imposter!

A devious imposter is "spoofing" Microsoft and attempting to deceive you
into installing a malicious VIRUS in your computer! Delete the VIRUS
laden message immediately!

Microsoft never sends file attachments with email messages!

Please take a moment to read the following articles:

Information on Bogus Microsoft Security Bulletin E-mails
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

How to Trim the "Spam" from Your E-Mail Diet
http://www.microsoft.com/security/articles/spam.asp


--
Nicholas

---------------------------------------------------------------------


| could anyone tell me if microsoft are sending out updates
| by email, ive never heard of this and got an update by
| email today ???? with exe file attached virus checker
| didnt pick it up (MS Security Support
| [[email protected]]) with file pack.exe.safe
| is this a hoax ???? any1
 
ian said:
could anyone tell me if microsoft are sending out updates
by email, ive never heard of this and got an update by
email today ???? with exe file attached virus checker
didnt pick it up (MS Security Support
[[email protected]]) with file pack.exe.safe
is this a hoax ???? any1
Click to expand...

Microsoft doesn't send out updates by email. DO NOT open or save ANY
attachment that you didn't specifically ask someone for. This is how
worms/viruses are spead (among other ways). Also, use good antivirus,
because there still is a possibility that they can put a script into the
email to try to automatically run the attachment.
http://v4/windowsupdate.microsoft.com is the only valid microsoft website
to get any such updates from.
 
I, too received a messsage that looks EXACTLY like the
Microsoft website and has links to the site that work.
The FROM was suspicious and the fact that there was an
attachment warned me that this may be dangerous. I can't
find anything about it on the Microsoft website.

I have been receiving at least 2 messages each day on one
of my e-amil addresses that says it's from Microsoft and
it's obviously NOT. Thos I KNOW are spoofs. This one
will get people because if looks genuine.
 
Greetings --

What you received is either a very common malicious hoax or the
output of a computer infected by one of several wide-spread, mass
emailing worms. 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]

Microsoft never has, does not currently, and 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

Any and all legitimate patches and updates are readily available
at http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/. (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.

There's probably no way of blocking all of the bogus messages, but
you can greatly reduce the number you get by creating a rule, based
upon the most commonly used subject lines, to delete the emails from
the server without ever downloading them.


Bruce Chambers

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