an experimental private version

I received a message written in bad English through the mailbox where i
usually get a lot of offshore spam.

it includes the following passage:

"we made a decision to issue an experimental private version of an update
for all Microsoft Windows OS users"

It includes an executable code that it tells me to run

What gives with this irregular notification? Is this a legitimate Microsoft
message?

--
Artimus

p.s how does a user know this is not malicious code?
--
Artimus


"ARTIMS" wrote:

> I received a message written in bad English through the mailbox where i
> usually get a lot of offshore spam.
>
> it includes the following passage:
>
> "we made a decision to issue an experimental private version of an update
> for all Microsoft Windows OS users"
>
> It includes an executable code that it tells me to run
>
> What gives with this irregular notification? Is this a legitimate Microsoft
> message?
>
> --
> Artimus

Absolutely not! Microsoft will never send any update files via email!
Delete the bogus email message immediately as it likely contains a virus!

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Desktop Experience

---------------------------------------------------------------------

"ARTIMS" <> wrote in message news:717D9EE5-BFB3-4D9A-B3FF-...
I received a message written in bad English through the mailbox where i
usually get a lot of offshore spam.

it includes the following passage:

"we made a decision to issue an experimental private version of an update
for all Microsoft Windows OS users"

It includes an executable code that it tells me to run

What gives with this irregular notification? Is this a legitimate Microsoft
message?

--
Artimus

ARTIMS wrote:
> I received a message written in bad English through the mailbox
> where i usually get a lot of offshore spam.
>
> it includes the following passage:
>
> "we made a decision to issue an experimental private version of an
> update for all Microsoft Windows OS users"
>
> It includes an executable code that it tells me to run
>
> What gives with this irregular notification? Is this a legitimate
> Microsoft message?

ARTIMS wrote:
> p.s how does a user know this is not malicious code?

The question should be, "How does a user *not* know this *is* malicious
code?"

Microsoft does not likely know you or even of you. They are not going to
randlomly come to you and ask you to run anything experimental/private.

You may *sign up* for certain things - even beta programs - but those things
will *not* be an attachment in email for many reasons.

It's spam. It's phishing. It's not even *good* phishing/spam.

Erase it and know that Microsoft (nor any other reputable company) will not
come to you out-of-the-blue and ask you to do such things. It's just like
coming to you on the street and asking you to fill out a form with all your
private informatin (identification information, bank account numbers,
signature, etc.) It's a scam.

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

Microsoft Security E-mail Spoofs with Malware
http://blogs.technet.com/msrc/archiv...h-malware.aspx

> We received some questions from customers about an e-mail that’s circulating that claims to be a
> security e-mail from Microsoft. The e-mail comes with an attached executable, which it claims is the
> latest security update, and encourages the recipient to run the attached executable so they can be
> safe.
> While malicious e-mails posing as Microsoft security notifications with attached malware aren’t new
> (we’ve seen this problem for several years) this particular one is a bit different in that it claims
> to be signed by our own Steve Lipner and has what appears to be a PGP signature block attached to it.
>
> While those are clever attempts to increase the credibility of the mail, I can tell you categorically
> that this is not a legitimate e-mail: it is a piece of malicious spam and the attachment is malware.
> Specifically, it contains Backdoor:Win32/Haxdoor.
> http://www.microsoft.com/security/po...:Win32/Haxdoor

Microsoft *** NEVER *** send out updates in emails. *** NEVER ***
Clear enough ?

MowGreen [MVP 2003-2009]
===============
*-343-* FDNY
Never Forgotten
===============



ARTIMS wrote:

> I received a message written in bad English through the mailbox where i
> usually get a lot of offshore spam.
>
> it includes the following passage:
>
> "we made a decision to issue an experimental private version of an update
> for all Microsoft Windows OS users"
>
> It includes an executable code that it tells me to run
>
> What gives with this irregular notification? Is this a legitimate Microsoft
> message?
>

Aside from the other comments, here's an easy way to tell if the message is
fake [assuming your English is good]:

Bad grammer and typos. [which you noticed]

Oh. If it's a private version, why are they giving it to everyone. :-)



"ARTIMS" wrote:

> I received a message written in bad English through the mailbox where i
> usually get a lot of offshore spam.
>
> it includes the following passage:
>
> "we made a decision to issue an experimental private version of an update
> for all Microsoft Windows OS users"
>
> It includes an executable code that it tells me to run
>
> What gives with this irregular notification? Is this a legitimate Microsoft
> message?
>
> --
> Artimus