Current Critical Pack - email

[Moe]

HI,

I have received several emails from what seems to be from
microsoft below, but it appears to be very suppicious. I
am thinking why don't they have this patch on the
window's update website. The attached file is an
executable with the name of, Patch6431.exe (106k). I will
not open it unless I no it is laget.


"Microsoft Customer

this is the latest version of security update,
the "November 2003, Cumulative Patch" update which
eliminates all known security vulnerabilities affecting
MS Internet Explorer, MS Outlook and MS Outlook Express
as well as three newly discovered vulnerabilities.
Install now to protect your computer from these
vulnerabilities, the most serious of which could allow an
attacker to run executable on your computer. This update
includes the functionality of all previously released
patches.


System requirements Windows 95/98/Me/2000/NT/XP
This update applies to MS Internet Explorer, version
4.01 and later
MS Outlook, version 8.00 and later
MS Outlook Express, version 4.01 and later
Recommendation Customers should install the patch at the
earliest opportunity.
How to install Run attached file. Choose Yes on
displayed dialog box.
How to use You don't need to do anything after
installing this item.

Microsoft Product Support Services and Knowledge Base
articles can be found on the Microsoft Technical Support
web site. For security-related information about
Microsoft products, please visit the Microsoft Security
Advisor web site, or Contact Us.

Thank you for using Microsoft products.

Please do not reply to this message. It was sent from an
unmonitored e-mail address and we are unable to respond
to any replies.

 

[Rick Friedman]

Moe,

Absolutely do *not* open the attachment. Simply get rid of the email.
This is an email sent by the "Swen" worm. It may be an updated version
of it.

You can get more info about it from:

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

Rick

 

[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

--
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