Re: September 2003, Cumulative Security Patch Virus

From: Bruce Chambers (bchambers_at_nospamcableone.net)
Date: 09/21/03


Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2003 13:55:07 -0600


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/w32.swen.a@mm.html

W32.Dumaru_mm
http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.dumaru@mm.html

W32.Gibe_mm
http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.gibe@mm.html

   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

--
Help us help you:
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You can have peace.  Or you can have freedom.  Don't ever count on
having both at once. -- RAH
"Michael Nezi" <nezi@starband.net> wrote in message
news:066f01c3806d$be10d2b0$a001280a@phx.gbl...
> Is anyone else receiving emails every hour from what
> looks like Microsoft telling me to use the attached file
> to update my security? They are calling it the 'September
> 2003, Cumulative Patch'. I have downloaded the Norton
> definitions for this and it stops the attachment from
> loading but I don't know how to stop the emails from
> coming in every hour. This has been happening since
> Thursday, Septemer 18, 2003.
>
> Any advice would be helpful.
>
> Thanks
> Michael Nezi


Relevant Pages

  • Re: Email-Notification Virus!!!
    ... emailing worms. ... Microsoft Policies on Software Distribution ... Information on Bogus Microsoft Security Bulletin Emails ... > We have now infected and continuely receiving messages ...
    (microsoft.public.security.virus)
  • Re: Viruses posing as MS SEcurity update etc.
    ... emailing worms. ... Microsoft Policies on Software Distribution ... Information on Bogus Microsoft Security Bulletin Emails ... > I am receiving on a daily basis between 50 and 100 virus mails ...
    (microsoft.public.security.virus)
  • Re: MS Securitiy Assistance, Phantom Mail
    ... emailing worms. ... unsolicited security patches. ... Information on Bogus Microsoft Security Bulletin Emails ... > I do not mean to be paranoid, but I keep receiving emails ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.security_admin)
  • Re: "Last Net Critical Pack"
    ... emailing worms. ... Information on Bogus Microsoft Security Bulletin Emails ... infected with a mass emailing worm, ... > Upon receiving the above message from MS, ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.security_admin)
  • Re: WARNING ?Bogus Microsoft Corp. or Tech Bulletin?
    ... emailing worms. ... unsolicited security patches. ... Microsoft Policies on Software Distribution ... Information on Bogus Microsoft Security Bulletin Emails ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.security_admin)