Re: WARNING!Important please read

Tech-Archive recommends: Fix windows errors by optimizing your registry

From: Bruce Chambers (bchambers_at_nospamcableone.net)
Date: 03/05/04 

Date: Thu, 4 Mar 2004 19:37:23 -0700

Greetings --

    It's been well known for years now that posting/publishing a real
email address to _any_ newsgroup, as you have done repeatedly, or web
site is an open initiation to be spammed. For years now, spammers
have been using automated tools to harvest email addresses from the
Internet and Usenet. What I don't understand is why you're just now
noticing the phenomenon. Was this the first time you _ever_ posted to
Usenet?

    What you received is the output of a computer infected by one of
several widely publicized, wide-spread, mass emailing worms. The
virus' authors have deliberately spoofed the Microsoft information in
the hopes of garnering more victims. This sort of email has been very
common for at least the past 10 months. 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

Trojan.Xombe
http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/trojan.xombe.html

   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

    Remember, any and all legitimate patches and updates are readily
available at http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/. You should develop
the habit of checking this site at least once a month to keep your
computer up-to-date. (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. You can also ask your ISP to take steps to preclude their mail
server from passing on such emails. Many ISPs have such filtering
capabilities.

Bruce Chambers 

--
Help us help you:
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
You can have peace.  Or you can have freedom.  Don't ever count on 
having both at once. -- RAH
"jim" <anonymous@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message 
news:4F66FD47-1C5E-4F84-A598-1937B9168BC8@microsoft.com...
> hello everyone
>
> Ihave been on the internet now for close to 8 years. During this 
> time I have been very discreet about who I give my e-mail to. 
> Through all these years there has only been two times that I have 
> received a virus through e-mail and these were both from friends 
> whose computer had been infected with a virus. Two days ago I made 
> the mistake of posting my e-mail address in this newsgroup along 
> with a problem I was having. Now today I have suddenly received FOUR 
> e-mails so far that contained the w32.swen virus with them. Two of 
> these were about a microsoft security update with microsoft logo on 
> them-which I knew right away were viruses and the other two were 
> about some fictitious undeliverable e-mails. THis is totally 
> disgusting that you can't post an e-mail address here because 
> evidently certain individuals are targeting E-mail addresses they 
> get from newsgoups like this to send viruses to. I WOULD STRONGLY 
> URGE THAT YOU DO NOT POST YOUR E-MAIL IN THESE NEWSGROUPS. If you do 
> you best make sure that your virus program is up to date and checks 
> your email.
>
> Totally disgusted
> jim

Relevant Pages

  • Re: receiving loads of emails but no virus?
    ... > Microsoft never has, does not currently, and very probably never ... > Information on Bogus Microsoft Security Bulletin Emails ... >> with an attached virus. ...
    (microsoft.public.security.virus)
  • Re: WARNING! important please read
    ... email address to _any_ newsgroup, as you have done repeatedly, or web ... Microsoft never has, does not currently, and very probably never ... Information on Bogus Microsoft Security Bulletin Emails ... > received a virus through e-mail and these were both from friends ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.security_admin)
  • Re: Message from: MS Internet Security Division
    ... emailing worms. ... The virus' authors have deliberately spoofed the ... Microsoft information in the hopes of garnering more victims. ... Information on Bogus Microsoft Security Bulletin Emails ...
    (microsoft.public.security.virus)
  • Re: email from Microsoft
    ... a virus attached to it, and you have to ask if it's bonafide or not? ... several widely publicized, wide-spread, mass emailing worms. ... Microsoft never has, does not currently, and very probably never ... Information on Bogus Microsoft Security Bulletin Emails ...
    (microsoft.public.security.virus)
  • Re: Cannot logoff RWW
    ... The virus issue has been cleared. ... I can connect using MSTSC on the local network to connect Vista to Vista. ... I suggest you post the problem in Vista newsgroup. ... Microsoft Online Newsgroup Support ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.server.sbs)