SCI/TECH: ALERT- E-mail Scam directs users to bogus Windows update

A new e-mail scam is making its way around the Internet claiming to be a message from Microsoft warning users of the Windows OS that they need to download a security update. The campaign of fake e-mails is expected to coincide with Microsoft's next regularly scheduled security update, planned for Tuesday April 12, 2005. If you receive one of the alerts via E-Mail do not open it and do not click on the link, if you do your computer will be infected by a ``Trojan horse'' program that allows hackers to control your personal computer. This is according to Sophos anti-virus software.



It is really too bad that hackers have gotten so smart that they now are planning to send out their Trojans to coincide with Windows planned updates. Just make sure if you have others in your family who access your computer they are alert of this new-planed attack.

I realize most are smart enough and know better, however I thought a reminder might be in order.

For those of you that do not already know it; Microsoft has a policy where they never send out E-mails or attachments announcing security updates for Windows.

Thanks for the warning. I'll be on the lookout for it. I wonder, I have Windows XP, SP2. It has the option for the computer to download and install all the critical updates on it's own, so I don't even worry about them.

I suppose that in that case, hopefully the trojan wouldn't get mixed up with Microsoft's real critical downloads?

I know this probably isn't the correct forum for this but i'm not sure which one is. You brought up the subject that you have auto updates from Microsoft and you also have SP2.

I installed SP2 and regardless of what I was doing, i would be online exactly ten minutes and it would sign me off. I tried contacting Microsoft about this and that was an absolute nightmare. I tried everything I knew to get it to stop and it wouldn't go away.

I could be online ten minutes and it would kick me off.

I had to uninstall SP2 and disable auto updates to keep it from being reinstalled.

Any idea what would cause that?

Love and light,

Wupy

FYI there's a computer help forum on BTS here: www.belowtopsecret.com...

Also beware of scams that ask not only for your email address, but also ask you to input your email password. You should never input your password on any webpage that is not a subdomain of the original site/service provider.

Originally posted by mrwupy


I installed SP2 and regardless of what I was doing, i would be online exactly ten minutes and it would sign me off. I tried contacting Microsoft about this and that was an absolute nightmare. I tried everything I knew to get it to stop and it wouldn't go away.

I could be online ten minutes and it would kick me off.

I had to uninstall SP2 and disable auto updates to keep it from being reinstalled.

Any idea what would cause that?

If you are running XP you can schedule the day and time of the updates.

To be honest it sounds like you might and I say might have a trojan on your computer. Are you running a virus program? If so you might want to check for updates.


Here is the link to schedule the updates

v5.windowsupdate.microsoft.com...



By what you stated it does not sound right to be honest and that is not good

[edit on 4/10/2005 by shots]

Thanks for the heads up, shots!

Originally posted by AlwaysLearning
Thanks for the heads up, shots!

No problem, if it was not an actual news artical, I would have posted it in BTS. The only problem with that is most are not aware that there is a specific section on BTS for computer related stuff; ergo they would never see the information. In this case since they are planning to spread it in conjunction with the next scheuled update and the fact there is an actual news article on it, I thought it would be only right to post it as news for greater exposure.

You did the right thing because I never would have seen it otherwise! Bravo!
-AL

I use Comcast as my ISP. Just recently, I received an email from [email protected] telling me that I needed to update my user profile (the one you use to do on-line bill payment, etc.) or all sorts of horrible things would happen to my internet and even to my cable TV. I smelled a rat and called Comcast; they said it was a hoax, that they would never communicate such information to their subscribers that way. Oh yeah, and they promised to fix mr. "update" also.

Just an FYI.

Originally posted by jsobecky
I use Comcast as my ISP. Just recently, I received an email from [email protected] telling me that I needed to update my user profile (the one you use to do on-line bill payment, etc.) or all sorts of horrible things would happen to my internet and even to my cable TV. I smelled a rat and called Comcast; they said it was a hoax, that they would never communicate such information to their subscribers that way. Oh yeah, and they promised to fix mr. "update" also.

Just an FYI.

Yeah right very good point JS anytime you get something like that the proper thing to do is send it to the trash and notify the real company to make them aware that others are there are praticing those acts.

Personally I never open any attachments even if they come from my wife at work, I trust nothing. My instructions to everyone in my family is if you want me to see it cut and paste it into an email then I will see it, otherwise it goes into the trash bin.

Originally posted by djohnsto77
FYI there's a computer help forum on BTS here: www.belowtopsecret.com...

Thanks for the info. Now that I know where to go I shall see if I can fix the problem.

To the other posters, thank you as well. My security is up to date plus once a week I run adaware, spybot S&D, Window washer, delete junk files, startcop and then defrag.

My system runs great...right up until I install SP2.

Ahhh the joys of solving a problem. You have helped me this night my friends. Thank you for the directions....

Love and light,

Wupy

Wupy,

I had the exact same problem trying to install SP2. I fought with it for the longest time. I also had to uninstall it.

But a little later on, for some reason, I decided to turn on the automatic updates, and the next morning, it had been successfully installed on m computer.

It is because the complete download of SP2 is huge, I forget, but somewhere around 50mb or more maybe. Anyway on a 56K connection, it would have taken forever anyway. But, if the Windows Update does it automatically, it see's just which parts of it your computer needs, because most people's computers already have a majority of it on already, so it only installs what is the remainder that your computer doesn't already have installed on it.

Good Luck,

a real windows update comes thru the Windows Update feature, never in email. This is just like any phishing or scam email, with a legit looking page and a forged header. MS has never sent update information via email. One of the few smart thigns they've done.

Of course, SP2 was about as bad as a virus, so maybe...

I've never had any trouble with SP2 (other than the new security aspects of it). If the firewall isn't set up properly then it will interefere with a lot of the normal web interchange most people are used to. Once I turned off the firewall and started using the Norton Firewall things rapidly got better and better.