For about a month now, I've received this pop up message, supposedly, from Microsoft. Have any of you received this and if so should I download the patch or not? Thanks a bunch!

 

The issue it refers to looks legit:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/...in/MS03-043.asp

Just to play it safe, I'd download the patch directly from the Microsoft website.

 

looks pretty shifty to me, if it was real, Windows Update would take care of it

 

Haven't seen that one.

But I would definitely not hit "OK".
Looks like a Trojan

Why would MS send you an Message?

Download the patches @ Microsoft.com.

My new laptop with XP, automatically updates.
Recently, McAfee has blocked a lot Trojans that show up
at the picture sites that people link to in OT.

Beware!

 

It's definitely suspect.

 

Thanks guys... hate to have the Trojan delete all my "special" photos

 

 

What's going on is:

1) Somebody sent a message to your computer via your Messenger Service, a default component of Windows.
2) MS003-043 is a legit Microsoft security bulletin (Read about it here.)
3) Asumingly, the bulletin is about a vulnerability in the Messenger Service. Microsoft says to either install the patch, or even better to just disable the service. (The latter being preferable because you'll then no longer get such annoying popups.)
4) The ONLY place you should download patches for Microsoft patches is from www.microsoft.com or Windows Update.
5) It's hard to say, but www.windows-patch.info could very well be a virus/spyware distribution point.

 

Disable your messaging service and you won't get it again!

 

Yeah, I'd be leary about getting software from this site. The domain, windows-patch.info, is not registered to Microsoft, and the links off his page to the patches don't link to Microsoft, but to a website at www.securesoft.org. Maybe he did you a favour by pointing out the hole in your security, but get the fix from Microsoft.

Chris.