New VIRUS warning

Today I got an e-mail supposedly from Microsoft Tech Support that
contained what was alleged to be a security patch for their system.
What the attachment contained was, in fact, a virus so new that many
antivirus programs don't detect it. My husband, who's the departmental
computer guru, submitted it to Symantec (Norton) and had the virus
identified for me. It's so new that their definition is still a beta.
Information about this virus can be found at:



This new virus is called Swen (or variants thereof), and already I've
received other copies of it. One subject line was about "Security
Update" and the other was "Computer Patch." If it's like other
viruses, there will soon be other subject lines and many spoofed
"From" headers.

A few common-sense things to remember about emails and the
viruses that come with them.

1) It is very easy to make an email appear to come from somewhere
different than the real source. Do not assume, just because the
email says it is from Microsoft, Apple, Norton/Symantec, McAfee,
or some other source that you might ordinarily trust, that it really
is from that company. The same goes for emails from people you
know that don't make sense and are asking you to open an
attachment.

2) Microsoft does not email patches for systems. (It doesn't like to
admit there are flaws!) Neither do any of the major software firms,
for just this reason. If you think about it, how would a company know
exactly which patches your system needed, anyway? If you are
suspicious of an email, and you should be when it contains an
attachment, DON'T OPEN IT! Talk to your Sysadmin.

3) Do go and download the newest version of your antivirus software on
a frequent and regular basis. (Some weeks there are five or more new
definitions!)

Have a great day!

Monique in drizzmal
College Station

Thanks for letting everyone know. As an ISP tech help, I also want to say
that Microsoft will NEVER send anyone an email about updates. To get update
you need to physically go to their website to download critical updates.
--
Kathy in CA
Quilting Stuff:
http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/kathys1068


"Monique Reed" wrote in message
...
Today I got an e-mail supposedly from Microsoft Tech Support that
contained what was alleged to be a security patch for their system.
What the attachment contained was, in fact, a virus so new that many
antivirus programs don't detect it. My husband, who's the departmental
computer guru, submitted it to Symantec (Norton) and had the virus
identified for me. It's so new that their definition is still a beta.
Information about this virus can be found at:



This new virus is called Swen (or variants thereof), and already I've
received other copies of it. One subject line was about "Security
Update" and the other was "Computer Patch." If it's like other
viruses, there will soon be other subject lines and many spoofed
"From" headers.

A few common-sense things to remember about emails and the
viruses that come with them.

1) It is very easy to make an email appear to come from somewhere
different than the real source. Do not assume, just because the
email says it is from Microsoft, Apple, Norton/Symantec, McAfee,
or some other source that you might ordinarily trust, that it really
is from that company. The same goes for emails from people you
know that don't make sense and are asking you to open an
attachment.

2) Microsoft does not email patches for systems. (It doesn't like to
admit there are flaws!) Neither do any of the major software firms,
for just this reason. If you think about it, how would a company know
exactly which patches your system needed, anyway? If you are
suspicious of an email, and you should be when it contains an
attachment, DON'T OPEN IT! Talk to your Sysadmin.

3) Do go and download the newest version of your antivirus software on
a frequent and regular basis. (Some weeks there are five or more new
definitions!)

Have a great day!

Monique in drizzmal
College Station

I just received this same e-mail twice. I also received it about a month
ago when the last scare was out. Thanks again for warning everyone.

Addie


"Monique Reed" wrote in message
...
Today I got an e-mail supposedly from Microsoft Tech Support that
contained what was alleged to be a security patch for their system.
What the attachment contained was, in fact, a virus so new that many
antivirus programs don't detect it. My husband, who's the departmental
computer guru, submitted it to Symantec (Norton) and had the virus
identified for me. It's so new that their definition is still a beta.
Information about this virus can be found at:



This new virus is called Swen (or variants thereof), and already I've
received other copies of it. One subject line was about "Security
Update" and the other was "Computer Patch." If it's like other
viruses, there will soon be other subject lines and many spoofed
"From" headers.

A few common-sense things to remember about emails and the
viruses that come with them.

1) It is very easy to make an email appear to come from somewhere
different than the real source. Do not assume, just because the
email says it is from Microsoft, Apple, Norton/Symantec, McAfee,
or some other source that you might ordinarily trust, that it really
is from that company. The same goes for emails from people you
know that don't make sense and are asking you to open an
attachment.

2) Microsoft does not email patches for systems. (It doesn't like to
admit there are flaws!) Neither do any of the major software firms,
for just this reason. If you think about it, how would a company know
exactly which patches your system needed, anyway? If you are
suspicious of an email, and you should be when it contains an
attachment, DON'T OPEN IT! Talk to your Sysadmin.

3) Do go and download the newest version of your antivirus software on
a frequent and regular basis. (Some weeks there are five or more new
definitions!)

Have a great day!

Monique in drizzmal
College Station

Monique Reed wrote:

Today I got an e-mail supposedly from Microsoft Tech Support that
contained what was alleged to be a security patch for their system.
What the attachment contained was, in fact, a virus so new that many
antivirus programs don't detect it. My husband, who's the departmental
computer guru, submitted it to Symantec (Norton) and had the virus
identified for me. It's so new that their definition is still a beta.
Information about this virus can be found at:



This new virus is called Swen (or variants thereof), and already I've
received other copies of it. One subject line was about "Security
Update" and the other was "Computer Patch." If it's like other
viruses, there will soon be other subject lines and many spoofed
"From" headers.

I'm being spammed by these messages today. I've gotten about 20 of these
messages so far.

-georg

I got that virus, in various forms, at least 15 times today! I wondered why
Norton wasn't catching it. Thanks for explaining. I have so far managed to
not get infected. They are GONE, gone, GONE!

Karen, Queen of Squishies

I use my yahoo account for the newsgroups. I have gotten about 30-40 e-mails
from "Microsoft" or web server (telling me they can't send my messages that
I did not send). Yahoo has put them all in the bulk mail folder so I don't
see them unless I happen to go into that folder. Have making sure I empty
the folder regularly so that I don't run out of mailbox space for something
that is legit.

My main account has not had any of the messages.

Debbi in SO CA


"Monique Reed" wrote in message
...
Today I got an e-mail supposedly from Microsoft Tech Support that
contained what was alleged to be a security patch for their system.
What the attachment contained was, in fact, a virus so new that many
antivirus programs don't detect it. My husband, who's the departmental
computer guru, submitted it to Symantec (Norton) and had the virus
identified for me. It's so new that their definition is still a beta.
Information about this virus can be found at:



This new virus is called Swen (or variants thereof), and already I've
received other copies of it. One subject line was about "Security
Update" and the other was "Computer Patch." If it's like other
viruses, there will soon be other subject lines and many spoofed
"From" headers.

A few common-sense things to remember about emails and the
viruses that come with them.

1) It is very easy to make an email appear to come from somewhere
different than the real source. Do not assume, just because the
email says it is from Microsoft, Apple, Norton/Symantec, McAfee,
or some other source that you might ordinarily trust, that it really
is from that company. The same goes for emails from people you
know that don't make sense and are asking you to open an
attachment.

2) Microsoft does not email patches for systems. (It doesn't like to
admit there are flaws!) Neither do any of the major software firms,
for just this reason. If you think about it, how would a company know
exactly which patches your system needed, anyway? If you are
suspicious of an email, and you should be when it contains an
attachment, DON'T OPEN IT! Talk to your Sysadmin.

3) Do go and download the newest version of your antivirus software on
a frequent and regular basis. (Some weeks there are five or more new
definitions!)

Have a great day!

Monique in drizzmal
College Station

Thanks for letting everyone know. As an ISP tech help, I also want to say
that Microsoft will NEVER send anyone an email about updates. To get update
you need to physically go to their website to download critical updates.

I've got this already almost 20 times today. Try to crawl thru 40 spams
and 20 virus mails... One thing; microsoft do send email about updates,
but only if you are in the mailing list, (my bf is) and all of them
comes
in PGP-encrypted. They don't have the attachments, you have to download
the
actual patch from the web-page.

Johanna

--
Johanna Koski
Finland, Europe

Like I stated earlier each e-mail so far that has been received is followed
by an e-mail from "Microsoft Corporation Program Security Division",
subject: Newest Microsoft pack. Or from: Technical Bulletin w/ Subject:
Last Network Update, both came with an attached exe. file. My DH did a
search for the #####.exe file and came up with no match. He figures both
e-mails are related to the virus mail.

Diana in Dallas

"Johanna Koski" wrote in message
...

Thanks for letting everyone know. As an ISP tech help, I also want to
say
that Microsoft will NEVER send anyone an email about updates. To get
update
you need to physically go to their website to download critical updates.

I've got this already almost 20 times today. Try to crawl thru 40 spams
and 20 virus mails... One thing; microsoft do send email about updates,
but only if you are in the mailing list, (my bf is) and all of them
comes
in PGP-encrypted. They don't have the attachments, you have to download
the
actual patch from the web-page.

Johanna

--
Johanna Koski
Finland, Europe

Thanks Monique! We received about 10 of those e-mails, and McAfee caught
them all.

I can't believe some people have nothing better to do with their time than
try to come up with viruses and disrupt other people's lives!!! What a pain.

Louise in Iowa


"Monique Reed" wrote in message
...
Today I got an e-mail supposedly from Microsoft Tech Support that
contained what was alleged to be a security patch for their system.
What the attachment contained was, in fact, a virus so new that many
antivirus programs don't detect it. My husband, who's the departmental
computer guru, submitted it to Symantec (Norton) and had the virus
identified for me. It's so new that their definition is still a beta.
Information about this virus can be found at:



This new virus is called Swen (or variants thereof), and already I've
received other copies of it. One subject line was about "Security
Update" and the other was "Computer Patch." If it's like other
viruses, there will soon be other subject lines and many spoofed
"From" headers.

A few common-sense things to remember about emails and the
viruses that come with them.

1) It is very easy to make an email appear to come from somewhere
different than the real source. Do not assume, just because the
email says it is from Microsoft, Apple, Norton/Symantec, McAfee,
or some other source that you might ordinarily trust, that it really
is from that company. The same goes for emails from people you
know that don't make sense and are asking you to open an
attachment.

2) Microsoft does not email patches for systems. (It doesn't like to
admit there are flaws!) Neither do any of the major software firms,
for just this reason. If you think about it, how would a company know
exactly which patches your system needed, anyway? If you are
suspicious of an email, and you should be when it contains an
attachment, DON'T OPEN IT! Talk to your Sysadmin.

3) Do go and download the newest version of your antivirus software on
a frequent and regular basis. (Some weeks there are five or more new
definitions!)

Have a great day!

Monique in drizzmal
College Station

Debbi wrote:

I have gotten about 30-40 e-mails
from "Microsoft" or web server (telling me they can't send my messages that
I did not send).
I've gotten the same thing in the last couple of hours. I imagine by
the time I get back to work in the morning I'll have at least 50 more!
sigh
--
Joan

See my first-ever design he
http://www.heritageshoppe.com/joan.jpg

"Stitch when you are young and poor, frame when you are old and rich."
- Elizabeth's (rctn'r) sister's MIL (Barbara Marr)