# A Message From Microsoft . Genuine or Phising ? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 5, 2005, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-message-from-microsoft-genuine-or-phising/293098 "2005-03-05T17:15:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2005, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-message-from-microsoft-genuine-or-phising/293098/1 "2005-03-05T17:15:09Z")
This e-mail popped into my in-box today _Dear Sir/Madam, We kindly ask you to install this update to your PC as soon as possible. In the libraries of OS Windows® critical errors have been found. This errors lead to destruction of the system files from your computer without an opportunity on restoration. The given service-pack fixes libraries and does not allow various Trojan modules to penetrate into your computer. Yours Faithfully, Microsoft INC_ There was also an attachment which I did not open. Is this an attempt by a phisher to get me to download a worm or is this a genuine message from Microsoft? My bets are on the former , especially because of the bad English . ---
**Author:** ![Electronic\_Chaos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Electronic\_Chaos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electronic_Chaos)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2005, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-message-from-microsoft-genuine-or-phising/293098/2 "2005-03-05T17:18:13Z")
Microsoft provides updates via the Windows Updater, not by email. So yes, it’s most likely a virus. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2005, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-message-from-microsoft-genuine-or-phising/293098/3 "2005-03-05T17:30:38Z")
The grammar is all screwy. Phishing, definitely. ---
**Author:** ![Ninja\_Pizza\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f04885/32.png) [@Ninja\_Pizza\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ninja_Pizza_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2005, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-message-from-microsoft-genuine-or-phising/293098/4 "2005-03-05T17:59:18Z")
Heh. I get those all the time, and I run Macs only. At least the PayPal and eBay phishers **try** to look legit. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2005, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-message-from-microsoft-genuine-or-phising/293098/5 "2005-03-05T18:16:55Z")
[How to Tell If a Microsoft Security-Related Message Is Genuine](http://www.microsoft.com/security/incident/authenticate_mail.mspx) straight from the horse’s … ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2005, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-message-from-microsoft-genuine-or-phising/293098/6 "2005-03-05T18:47:44Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > straight from the horse’s … Ass? 😃 What? You know you were thinking it, too. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2005, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-message-from-microsoft-genuine-or-phising/293098/7 "2005-03-05T19:02:48Z")
Any message of this kind that contains misspelling and bad grammar is certainly phishing. (And 99.999% of all such messages are phishing anyway, even if they are perfect in spelling and grammar - which at least in my experience they rarely are.) I recently received a message purportedly from my bank (probably coincidentally, it was from a company at which I actually do have an account) telling me that they were updating their “security standar **t** s” and needed me to click on their link. What :wally’s! ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2005, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-message-from-microsoft-genuine-or-phising/293098/8 "2005-03-05T19:42:07Z")
Microsoft only sends security alerts to people who have gone to Microsoft and signed up for them. They don’t come out of the blue. But it’s a standard issue for viruses to pretend to be from some authority. BTW, this is a virus, not phishing – phishing always takes you to a website and never have attachments. Viruses generally have attachments (some have had links to websites, but those don’t last very long, since the site is quickly taken down). ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2005, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-message-from-microsoft-genuine-or-phising/293098/9 "2005-03-05T21:08:15Z")
I’ve had four of these in the last two days, apparently there’s a lot of it about. Bizarrely [no-one seems to know much about it.](http://hq.mcafeeasap.com/dispVirus.asp?virus_k=131502). Anyhow, it’s a trojan virus and installation will probably turn your computer into a further source of the same virus and a spam zombie into the bargain. ---
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2005, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-message-from-microsoft-genuine-or-phising/293098/10 "2005-03-05T21:56:56Z")
> [@Rayne Man](#): > > _Dear Sir/Madam, > We kindly ask you to install this update to your PC as soon as possible. > In the libraries of OS Windows® critical errors have been found. This errors lead to destruction of the system files from your computer without an opportunity on restoration. The given service-pack fixes libraries and does not allow various Trojan modules to penetrate into your computer. > Yours Faithfully, > Microsoft INC_ No doubt about it. Pure BS. Install at your own risk! MS auto install of updates is enough pain. Don’t ask for more than you can handle. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2005, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-message-from-microsoft-genuine-or-phising/293098/11 "2005-03-05T23:04:26Z")
On this general subject (and it may have been covered by another thread), I’ve received messages purportedly from Comcast stating that I have to update my profile or my service will be canceled. I was directed to click on a hyperlink. After I ignored that message, the next day I got another one stating that they were giving me another chance. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2005, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-message-from-microsoft-genuine-or-phising/293098/12 "2005-03-06T22:07:00Z")
You could always forward it to [this guy](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=305363).