Microsoft Hoax/Virus/Update?

[BobbyDouglas]

I got two e-mails today from "microsoft." The first one is below:
<< 300k >>
http://www.mrbobdouglas.com/ms.jpg


The second e-mail I got was pretty much the same thing, only difference was the

From: "Network Security Division" <uvngovcuyhnm-oazgki@vnkyjq.msn.net>
Date: 2003/09/19 Fri PM 02:13:38 EDT
To: "Client" <lxagn.ezhlxiah@vnkyjq.msn.net>
Subject: New Microsoft Pack

And then the attachment was qtm.exe

Rather odd. I didn't run either of them, but I just wanted to know if anyone has more information on this subject.... Is this a virus? Or is it really an update?

A third e-mail has arrived:


From: "Program Security Division" <gvwwqwsqoepxq@news.msdn.com>
Date: 2003/09/19 Fri PM 03:27:27 EDT
To: "MS Customer" <mdaexxld.bigjjwtjgh@news.msdn.com>
Subject: Current Network Update


With the attachment installation1.exe

It is a virus: http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB20030919S0005

[telekinesis]

Microsoft will never send an update to your email. It is a virus.

[kirupa]

Yeah - if you have a good, up-to-date av program (rev and jubba will jump in with their praise for AVG :bad:), try opening the attachment just for fun. More than likely, if the file size is around 70-100k, it's a virus. But, don't do it unless you wouldn't mind risking the possibility of having your computer infected, etc. etc.

[Yeldarb]

heres a thread on it, it links to what it does and other stuff
http://www.aqua-soft.org/board/index.php?showtopic=6725&hl=

[Coppertop]

since rev and jubba aren't here, I will take their place:

AVG is the greatest! I used to have norton, and I scanned weekly, updating it all the time, but the next week I used AVG (at my dad's recomendation) and it found 4 viruses when norton had been saying "nothing" for weeks!

www.grisoft.com

Not only that, but AVG is free! BRILLIANT! I also reccomend getting Ad-Aware 6: www.lavasoft.de it finds spyware. Its great.

[lostinbeta]

Ok

1) I've seen warnings of this hoax and as stated, microsoft never sends you update messages to your e-mail.

2) I've downloaded this AVG thing, I remember Jubba recommended it to me a while ago, I saved the link to my favorites, but ended up forgetting all about it. Ok so anyway, it did good, it found like 5 viruses.... eep... and it cleaned 3 of them and moved 2 to the "Virus Vault". Ok no problems there, but heres the problem... since i've installed this program www.google.com won't load and instead after about a full minute of waiting (was interested in seeing what would load) it redirects me to like www.www.google.com.org

This is quite annoying being that google was my default search engine and the only search engine I use :m:

Anyone know whats up?

[Makaveli]

Originally posted by BobbyDouglas
From: "Program Security Division" <gvwwqwsqoepxq@news.msdn.com>


From: "Network Security Division" <uvngovcuyhnm-oazgki@vnkyjq.msn.net>

Even those email addresses should tip you off...do those look like real email adresses to you? if it were from microsoft (already been proven its not in the thread), the email adress would be nice and clean like support@microsoft.com or the likes...

good thing you didn't open it cuz you never know whats " lurking in the shadows" :egg:

[Yeldarb]

Originally posted by lostinbeta

2) I've downloaded this AVG thing, I remember Jubba recommended it to me a while ago, I saved the link to my favorites, but ended up forgetting all about it. Ok so anyway, it did good, it found like 5 viruses.... eep... and it cleaned 3 of them and moved 2 to the "Virus Vault". Ok no problems there, but heres the problem... since i've installed this program www.google.com won't load and instead after about a full minute of waiting (was interested in seeing what would load) it redirects me to like www.www.google.com.org

This is quite annoying being that google was my default search engine and the only search engine I use :m:

Anyone know whats up?
well i don't think AVG is the problem, i recently installed it, and google works fine (it's my homepage) maybe it's another problem...

[lostinbeta]

Well I have no idea what to think since it happened right after I installed this program :-\

I've tried so many things, but still no google. news.google.com works great, but not google.com or images.google.com :-\

[Yeldarb]

does it work in a different browser?

[lostinbeta]

Nope, I tried IE, Mozilla, Netscape, and Firebird.

Mozilla, Netscape, and Firebird all gave me a timed out alert.

IE was doing this redirect thing, then just started doing the "page cannot be found" thing, but now it is back to redirecting.

[Makaveli]

lib, does www.google.com/ncr work?

could be a quick workaround till someone figures this out

you could always try google.ca as well :P and don't you dare laugh at us canadians ;)

[Jubba]

yeah i definatly don't think that AVG is the problem... because google works fine for me too... i think maybe you are just cursed.. I would try to uninstall AVG and try google. If that doesn't solve it then... uhmmm... reformat? :) Thats my solution to everything...

[lostinbeta]

No it doesn't Mak. I've tried all the global versions :P

However,

http://www-cw.google.com/
http://www-gv.google.com/
http://www-cw.google.com/
http://www-ab.google.com/
http://www-in.google.com/

All work perfectly fine :-\

This is aggrivating me :m:

[reverendflash]

lost, have you run an anti-spyware detector? I had a .dll one time that did just as you describe...

just an idea...

Revhttp://www.aulman.com/rev.gif

[lostinbeta]

Originally posted by Jubba
yeah i definatly don't think that AVG is the problem... because google works fine for me too... i think maybe you are just cursed.. I would try to uninstall AVG and try google. If that doesn't solve it then... uhmmm... reformat? :) Thats my solution to everything...

LOL, I am not reformatting, that's too much trouble :P