As soon as I got online today, a Windows Messenger
message popped up, stating I needed to click on the
enclosed link to download a security fix--something about
a winpatch.net-something-or-other. Do you send security
notices via Windows Messenger? I'm not familiar with Win.
MSNGR. cause I've never received messages from it before
this PC I recently got (I have AOL.) And the few I've
gotten on here were from people I don't know--one was an
ad; two were from the same person (same gender as me)on
different days saying that a friend of mine (doesn't give
name)says I'm cool. Well, I'm 50, married with 2 grown
kids--so I doubt that! I just closed all these messages
including the "security" one today. I did a search for it
on MSN's security site, which found nothing--'course I
couldn't remember the whole name accurately. Yesterday I
had to reinstall Win XP and everything else that came
with this PC after it crashed (couldn't get it to do a
recovery--something about an NDRLT file missing), and I
re-acquired Automatic Update but it wasn't til today that
it's stating I need to get a lot of updates (which I do
recognize from the 1st time.) It didn't start showing
this til AFTER I got and closed the Win Mssgr. message. I
just checked the Updates list and there's nothing on it
about winpatch.net-whatever. I'm confused, so please
email me a reply ASAP, and also tell me what I should
acquire from the website that will be able to decipher
the genuineness of something for me. Thank you.

Re: Windows security updates notice by Robert

Robert
Sun Jan 11 04:39:18 CST 2004

J. Olson wrote:
> As soon as I got online today, a Windows Messenger
> message popped up, stating I needed to click on the
> enclosed link to download a security fix--something about
> a winpatch.net-something-or-other. Do you send security
> notices via Windows Messenger? I'm not familiar with Win.
> MSNGR. cause I've never received messages from it before
> this PC I recently got (I have AOL.) And the few I've
> gotten on here were from people I don't know--one was an
> ad; two were from the same person (same gender as me)on
> different days saying that a friend of mine (doesn't give
> name)says I'm cool. Well, I'm 50, married with 2 grown
> kids--so I doubt that! I just closed all these messages
> including the "security" one today. I did a search for it
> on MSN's security site, which found nothing--'course I
> couldn't remember the whole name accurately. Yesterday I
> had to reinstall Win XP and everything else that came
> with this PC after it crashed (couldn't get it to do a
> recovery--something about an NDRLT file missing), and I
> re-acquired Automatic Update but it wasn't til today that
> it's stating I need to get a lot of updates (which I do
> recognize from the 1st time.) It didn't start showing
> this til AFTER I got and closed the Win Mssgr. message. I
> just checked the Updates list and there's nothing on it
> about winpatch.net-whatever. I'm confused, so please
> email me a reply ASAP, and also tell me what I should
> acquire from the website that will be able to decipher
> the genuineness of something for me. Thank you.

I'd suspect that you need to get a 3rd party firewall to block the messages,
you could try zone alarm.

Now as for the updates. The only updates for windows that you should
consider legitimate are those that come through the automatic windows update
tool, and those you download yourself by going to
http://windowsupate.microsoft.com


--
--
Rob Moir
Microsoft MVP for servers & security
Website - http://www.robertmoir.co.uk
Virtual PC 2004 FAQ - http://www.robertmoir.co.uk/win/VirtualPC2004FAQ.html



Re: Windows security updates notice by blim

blim
Mon Jan 12 12:28:51 CST 2004

Microsoft never sends security fixes through email or Windows Messanger.
Check this link for more info on how to tell if a security message really
is from Microsoft.
http://www.microsoft.com/security/antivirus/authenticate_mail.asp

blim
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
--------------------
| >From: "Robert Moir" <bofh@mvps.org>
| >References: <02c801c3d805$938aa940$a501280a@phx.gbl>
| >Subject: Re: Windows security updates notice
| >Date: Sun, 11 Jan 2004 10:39:18 -0000
| >Lines: 46
| >X-Priority: 3
| >X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
| >X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2800.1158
| >X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1165
| >Message-ID: <u99Zn8C2DHA.1272@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl>
| >Newsgroups: microsoft.public.security
| >NNTP-Posting-Host: cpc5-bedn1-3-0-cust242.lutn.cable.ntl.com
213.107.178.242
| >Path:
cpmsftngxa07.phx.gbl!cpmsftngxa06.phx.gbl!cpmsftngxa09.phx.gbl!TK2MSFTNGP08.
phx.gbl!TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl
| >Xref: cpmsftngxa07.phx.gbl microsoft.public.security:44694
| >X-Tomcat-NG: microsoft.public.security
| >
| >J. Olson wrote:
| >> As soon as I got online today, a Windows Messenger
| >> message popped up, stating I needed to click on the
| >> enclosed link to download a security fix--something about
| >> a winpatch.net-something-or-other. Do you send security
| >> notices via Windows Messenger? I'm not familiar with Win.
| >> MSNGR. cause I've never received messages from it before
| >> this PC I recently got (I have AOL.) And the few I've
| >> gotten on here were from people I don't know--one was an
| >> ad; two were from the same person (same gender as me)on
| >> different days saying that a friend of mine (doesn't give
| >> name)says I'm cool. Well, I'm 50, married with 2 grown
| >> kids--so I doubt that! I just closed all these messages
| >> including the "security" one today. I did a search for it
| >> on MSN's security site, which found nothing--'course I
| >> couldn't remember the whole name accurately. Yesterday I
| >> had to reinstall Win XP and everything else that came
| >> with this PC after it crashed (couldn't get it to do a
| >> recovery--something about an NDRLT file missing), and I
| >> re-acquired Automatic Update but it wasn't til today that
| >> it's stating I need to get a lot of updates (which I do
| >> recognize from the 1st time.) It didn't start showing
| >> this til AFTER I got and closed the Win Mssgr. message. I
| >> just checked the Updates list and there's nothing on it
| >> about winpatch.net-whatever. I'm confused, so please
| >> email me a reply ASAP, and also tell me what I should
| >> acquire from the website that will be able to decipher
| >> the genuineness of something for me. Thank you.
| >
| >I'd suspect that you need to get a 3rd party firewall to block the
messages,
| >you could try zone alarm.
| >
| >Now as for the updates. The only updates for windows that you should
| >consider legitimate are those that come through the automatic windows
update
| >tool, and those you download yourself by going to
| >http://windowsupate.microsoft.com
| >
| >
| >--
| >--
| >Rob Moir
| >Microsoft MVP for servers & security
| >Website - http://www.robertmoir.co.uk
| >Virtual PC 2004 FAQ -
http://www.robertmoir.co.uk/win/VirtualPC2004FAQ.html
| >
| >
| >


Re: Windows security updates notice by Robert

Robert
Mon Jan 12 16:42:30 CST 2004

Ben [MSFT] wrote:
> Microsoft never sends security fixes through email or Windows
> Messanger. Check this link for more info on how to tell if a security
> message really is from Microsoft.
> http://www.microsoft.com/security/antivirus/authenticate_mail.asp

Hi Ben,
You are quite right about how we should treat emails, but I don't see where
the original poster was having difficulty with emails.