Recognizing Computer Viruses

A new virus has been frequently showing up in email this week that has the title “Use this patch immediately !” and purports to come from "Microsoft" (security@microsoft.com). The text of the message is:

Dear friend , use this Internet Explorer patch now!
There are dangerous virus in the Internet now!
More than 500.000 already infected!

There are attachments along with this message that are actually themselves computer viruses. If you open the attachments, you will activiate the virus.

Note that MICROSOFT DOES NOT DISTRIBUTE PATCHES, FIXES, OR WARNINGS IN THIS MANNER. Any patch for a Microsoft product must be downloaded from a Microsoft Website using the Software Updater they include as part of all of their Windows computer operating systems. Any email suggesting that it contains such a patch should be immediately deleted!