# Microsoft emails patch--is this real?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-emails-patch-is-this-real/200167>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 7, 2003, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-emails-patch-is-this-real/200167 "2003-09-07T22:30:24Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\
**Post date:** [September 7, 2003, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-emails-patch-is-this-real/200167/1 "2003-09-07T22:30:24Z")

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I’ve gotten live updates for Windows ME and for Outlook, but I’ve never gotten these updates as an email. (And some of the updates have been less than welcome, like the one for Outlook that reorgnized my address book by last name instead of by first name.)

Now I have this message, which says it’s from Microsoft and the subject line reads: Use this patch immediately!

Is this for real, or am I being sent a virus? I’ve been quite suspicious of attachments lately, and there is one. (I have not opened the file OR the attachment.)

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**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:** [September 7, 2003, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-emails-patch-is-this-real/200167/2 "2003-09-07T22:44:48Z")

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It’s a virus. Microsoft _never_ emails patches or updates of any kind. Delete any such emails immediately.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\
**Post date:** [September 7, 2003, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-emails-patch-is-this-real/200167/3 "2003-09-07T22:52:23Z")

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Thank you. I thought it sounded phony.

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**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\
**Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-emails-patch-is-this-real/200167/4 "2003-09-08T01:17:40Z")

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[Snopes](http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/security.htm) has an article about a similar bogus email.

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**Author:** ![Horseflesh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horseflesh/32/7502_2.png) [@Horseflesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horseflesh)\
**Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-emails-patch-is-this-real/200167/5 "2003-09-08T02:41:24Z")

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[Microsoft Policies on Software Distribution](http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/security/policy/swdist.asp)

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**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\
**Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-emails-patch-is-this-real/200167/6 "2003-09-08T04:21:11Z")

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You should be extremely severe in your practices regarding emails with attachments. I throw them _all_ out without opening them with very rare exceptions.

But note, since this is a patch, it is a program, therefore it is the worst possible attachment to open. Don’t have to give it a second thought.