Why Does "Microsoft "Keep Sending Emails with Viruses?

[Mark]

I get about 4-6 emails a day, allegedly from Microsoft,
about "Critical Network Upgrades" or "Securuity Updates"
which Norton invariably finds a virus in.

As such, I've had to block all email from Microsoft or
anything relating to Windows or Windows XP in the subject
line.

What's going on here? Has Microsoft been hacked or is
something wronf with Norton AV?

 

[WIRED]

I get about 4-6 emails a day, allegedly from Microsoft,
about "Critical Network Upgrades" or "Securuity Updates"
which Norton invariably finds a virus in.

As such, I've had to block all email from Microsoft or
anything relating to Windows or Windows XP in the subject
line.

What's going on here? Has Microsoft been hacked or is
something wronf with Norton AV?

Its a hoax update containing an official "looking" but false update
message. The email you are recieving this hoax from is not an official MS
email address. You can block this address specifically.

Know that MS DOES NOT send out email notifications. Ever. That's your first
clue.

 

[Gary Davis]

Anyone can send a e-mail and have a return address of anything they want.
These e-mails are NOT from Microsoft.
Microsoft NEVER sends out e-mail with attachments.

As always NEVER open any attachment unless you are very sure of its origin.

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi Mark,

They're not from Microsoft, they are instances of the swen virus being
generated by infected individuals. The virus spoofs the sending address to
make it appear as though it is from Microsoft, rest assured it is not. Just
delete any instances of it your receive, there is little you can do to stop
it.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers aka "Nutcase" MS-MVP - Win9x
Windows isn't rocket science! That's my other hobby!

Associate Expert - WinXP - Expert Zone

 

[Steve C. Ray]

Neither. These emails are not coming from Microsoft; they never send updates
by email. Keep NAV up to date to protect from this virus.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

What you received is either a very common, malicious hoax or the
output of a computer infected by one of several widely publicized,
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 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

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

--
Help us help you:



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