Be wary of fictitious vendor security alerts received via email

Campus email users have reported receiving email messages from "Microsoft" advising them to install an operating system security update attached to the message as part of a monthly update process.

Do not run the program attached to this message, because it is malware, or will point to a Web site that hosts malware. Microsoft and other vendors do not distribute security updates via email attachments. The message is fictitious and almost certainly intended to infect your computer with a malicious program.

Campus filters stripped the attachment from messages sent to the central campus email system, but messages sent to non-campus addresses might still carry the attachment.

Read more about campus cybersecurity here.