False security notifications

Beware of Security Bulletins!

But this is not one! 

Over the years there have been numerous occasions when malicious spammers will send a security bulletin out, whereby their victim will follow the advise of the security bulletin and download the proposed patch or fix, but in fact one will end up downloading a virus or other malware. Today, I received just such a bulletin. Although there was nothing new in the attempt, what was most impressive was the degree to which they had replicated a Microsoft security bulletin and the linked website. The giveaway, however, was the fact that the website's address was not Microsoft's. Since I was working on a non-Microsoft computer, I decided to download the patch out of curiosity. Although the download was named much like a valid patch would be, sure enough it was a virus.

My advise to everyone is to only heed bulletins and notifications from trusted sources. Although Microsoft might seem to be a trusted source, ask yourself whether you have ever received such notifications before. As with banking information, don't click on links in an email. Go to the actual website for the product, whether it be Microsoft, your bank, Quicken, whatever the program is. Go to their website and check for the information on their website. If it's not there, then it's more than likely that you were spammed. 

With the holidays approaching, it is likely that spam and other malicious attempts to compromise your computer will be more and more frequent.


NB! As a forewarning, following this "notification" I will be sending out a notification about patches and updates.