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MS Windows/Critical Error Trojan
Jan 27 2005-We've talked about this stuff before, but, anytime you recieve an update for software in email, you should NEVER open it, the only exceptions would be if a co-worker sent you the file and you verified that they actually did send it. This is one of the easiest ways virus writers get these trojans on your pc. They prey on the fact that almost everyone has this software and they want to keep it up to date. Just remember, never open email attachments, companies like Microsoft, ebay, Apple and others, never ever send out patches like this in email.
Now to the current trojan, a fake email is making the rounds, trying to convinve users that it is a patch that they need to install to fix their system, this is, ofcourse, untrue. It contains the subject "MS Windows/Critical Error", and holds an attachment called Windowsupdate.rar, and appears to be an archive file used by many companies to install their software. Antivirus company Symantec said the file is not listed in the virus database, so it's unclear whether the file is a virus, a prank or any other kind of attack.
A spokesman from Microsoft says, "Microsoft is aware of a possible threat by which a person sends an e-mail claiming to be from Microsoft and enticing users to download Windows updates in the form of an attachment in the email," Debby Fry Wilson, director of Microsoft's security response center. "Initial investigations from Microsoft and third parties have found that there is no malicious payload associated with this attachment at this time, and Microsoft is not aware of any customer impact."
So, watch this space, surely this email will come to contain a trojan or virus of somekind soon, and we'll let you know.
Related articles from other news sites:
Trojan piggybacks on Microsoft patching Microsoft's patch process has spawned an attempt to fool Windows users into downloading and installing a Trojan horse.
A fake e-mail message, sent to CNET News.com, purports to be a Microsoft security notification about problems with the Windows operating system. The message, which carries the subject line "MS Windows/Critical Error," attempts to fool PC users into downloading and installing an attached program. However, numerous spelling and grammar errors in the message could tip people off to the danger.
Is Microsoft's AntiVirus Strategy Secure? Microsoft's business strategy has been intensely scrutinized for decades.
So when the company last month bought a small maker of anti-spyware technology, the move was widely interpreted as a foreshadowing of its entry into the security software market. That prediction was borne out with the Jan. 6 debut of a Microsoft-branded spyware-fighting tool and the subsequent release last week of anti-virus software.
While Microsoft has downplayed the significance of the new products, observers say it's a classic strategic move for the company, and is part of a looming overhaul of the two markets. How the giant company chooses to distribute the software will determine whether it again arouses the interest of the Department of Justice.
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