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Home > Windows XP Common Issues > Update Alerts by Email
May 21, 2012

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Updates Sent by Email

Microsoft will never ever distribute update executables through email. A genuine update alert email from Microsoft will always direct you back to a Microsoft site in order to download the update and will contain a PGP signature. If you receive a message such as the following you should just delete it, do not under any circumstances run the .exe file attached to the email (Usually the attachment contains a varient of the Gibe virus).

You can find more details on Microsoft's update distribution policy here

Example of a fake email:

Microsoft Customer

this is the latest version of security update, the "April 2003, Cumulative Patch" update which eliminates all known security vulnerabilities affecting Internet Explorer, Outlook and Outlook Express as well as five newly discovered vulnerabilities. Install now to protect your computer from these vulnerabilities, the most serious of which could allow an attacker to run executable on your system. This update includes the functionality of all previously released patches.

System requirements:
Win 9x/Me/2000/NT/XP

This update applies to:
Microsoft Internet Explorer, version 4.01 and later Microsoft Outlook, version 8.00 and later Microsoft Outlook Express, version 4.01 and later

Recommendation:
Customers should install the patch at the earliest opportunity.

How to install:
Run attached file. Click Yes on displayed dialog box.

How to use:
You don't need to do anything after installing this item.

Microsoft Technical Support is available at http://support.microsoft.com/

For security-related information about Microsoft products, please visit the Microsoft Security Advisor web site at http://www.microsoft.com/security

Contact us at
http://www.microsoft.com/isapi/goregwiz.asp?target=/contactus/contactus.asp


Please do not reply to this message. It was sent from an unmonitored e-mail address and we are unable to respond to any replies.

Thank you for using Microsoft products.
 
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