New Worm Poses As Security Patch

[Chuck Snyder]

I received an odd note tonight from 'Microsoft' - looked very legitimate,
said to be a cumulative security patch. DON'T INSTALL!! See the website
below for info on the new Swen worm that this transports...

[url]http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/security/0,39020375,39116479,00.htm[/url]

[Pete D]

Chuck,
Microsoft has cautioned customers in the past against "e-mail software
updates", saying it does NOT distribute patches that way but rather directs
them to its Web site.

Here is the news story on this latest;


[url]http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=582&ncid=582&e=1&u=/nm/20030918/wr_nm/tech_worm_swen_dc[/url]



Same old,... same old! Keep AV program AND definitions up to date, download
all critical updates for windows and don't open files from non trusted
sources.



PeteD

[Raymond Robillard]

Chuck,

It's nice of you to warn us about this.

Also, NEVER, EVER run a program, screen saver, greeting card, slideshows, patch, fix, patch, update, upgrade received over e-mail or in popups. Even if it comes from a friend, no matter how close he or she is. In this particular case, contact the friend first thing after receiving this e-mail and make sure he or she sent it deliberately. Many, many times, viruses will spread themselves using an infected computer's address book. So in many case, the message seems legitimate but in fact, it contains a virus.

If it's too good to be true, it probably is. If a major company sends you an update over e-mail, it probably isn't safe. 99% of the times, company will have a website from which you can download patches. They won't go into the trouble of sending the patch to their users. They will, most likely, invite them to download it from their website. But again, I make it a policy to visit the websites myself, even if I receive an invitation that links to their website. Here's an example :

ICQ hoax is a common one : you receive an e-mail that asks you to give them your username / password or else it will be deactivated. It comes will a full HTML page, containing real links to ICQ website. In fact, the sender wants you to give your coordinates, for it can use it. If you don't pay attention, you're likely to end up giving your private information. But, when I opened the HTML code of the e-mail, I discovered the problem (the reply server doesn't math ICQ's).

Be carefull people, and get yourself an anti-virus :)

Ray

[Chuck Snyder]

I just got barraged with two more from different addresses, plus two different viruses from other sources. Fortunately, NAV took care of the last two, right after it had run its normal weekly update of definitions. Hope it wasn't too late, though....if you don't see me for a while it'll be because one of them got through...

:-(

Chuck

[JodiFrye]

Yes i got the messages and deleted them and Norton downloaded a quicky update just afterwards so i suspect they were one step ahead of Norton. I'm going to go do a scan. Later people. Chuck, thanks for the verification !

[Schraven Robert]

Same here in Europe,

I received 4 e-mails all about this alledged patch.
Meanwhile macafee was upgrading in the back.
I deleted them straight away.

Robert

[Leen Koper]

I've got the "record breaking" 11 messages within 24 hours. Tonight, I slept about 6 hours and in the meantime 24 spam mails came in.
I'm glad I cannot lay my hands on these guys.

Leen

[Ray]

Is it me or is the number of spam e-mails have just doubled in the last 24 hours? While on
vacation, I received 68 junk e-mails at my Hotmail account and 214 in my regular e-mail account.
Now, I was gone five days, so it makes an average of 56 e-mails per day. Now, just yesterday, I
deleted over a 100 e-mails.

Ray

[ken]

"Leen Koper" <leenkoper@zeelandnet.nl> wrote in message news:<2ccd79df.5@webx.la2eafNXanI>...

> I've got the "record breaking" 11 messages within 24 hours. Tonight, I slept about 6 hours and in the meantime 24 spam mails came in.
> I'm glad I cannot lay my hands on these guys.
>
> Leen

I have received 8 of these messages so far this morning.
Ken

[Steven Reno]

I got 7 Microsoft e-mails

overnight and 4 more as I read this thread. Any recommendations for a good anti-virus service thats compatible with Elements.

Steve

[JodiFrye]

Geeze, now that my mail is working again....I get all these virus mails. About 12 since last night. Norton beat the crap out of them for me. He's a good boy. I thought 'ol Bushie put a threat up againts these virus producers...jail time and a fine...but it's not stopping them. bastards.

[Ray]

It's the worst virus attack I've ever seen. I've had like 25 of this MS Security thing since
yesterday. Some people have way too much free time, I'm telling ya... ;-)

[Jane Carter]

I was wondering what all those messages were, as they were addressed strangely, and looked sort of homemade. They tried to make them look official though.

Plus, I have a Mac, so wouldn't be on any Microsoft list anyway.
Delete, delete, delete, and delete some more,,,,,,,,

Thanks for the warning, as there are some people who these wormey spammers could fool.
Jane

[Beth Haney]

I figured out right away it was some kind of new computer threat, because, like Jane, I knew there's no way MS would have a Mac user in their database! I've gotten four this morning, so I guess I'm getting off light.

[Leen Koper]

Today, 62 "Microsoft messages."

There is one thing I cannot understand.
If hackers can work their way into the Pentagon computers, into banking systems etc. why can't they get into these computersystems and "smoke them out of their holes"(funny old American expression)?
I cannot -and will not- believe there is no way to sabotage these computers that pollute our computers.

Leen

[Jane Carter]

Here is a nice example of the kind of worms that I deal with. Tomato worms.
<http://www.pbase.com/image/21486898>
Jane

[Byron Gale]

Jane,

I can't remember the last time I saw a tomato worm... thanks for reminding
me of them.

While they are certainly a pest, I found them fascinating as a child.

What a neat flashback!!

Byron

[Ray]

Leen, I believe the whole issue has to deal with morality. Not because one get rub does he or she
goes and rub someone else. Instead, we install alarm system to prevent another theif from rubbing
us ;-)

Ray

[Ray]

Btw, Norton has this to say about the current virus we're all getting :
[url]http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.swen.a@mm.html[/url]

Ray

[Chuck Snyder]

Byron....of course you know what's worse than finding a tomato worm, right?

Chuck