PatchUpdate.info is an illegal website which takes money from unsuspecting users in exchange for Microsoft patches which can be downloaded from the actual Microsoft website for free.It is also closely tied in to several other similar websites which place adware on the user’s computer. The adware triggers pop-ups on the desktop insisting that the system is in critical danger and that a fix is needed.And yes, you guessed it. That fix comes at a price. In the case of PatchUpdate.info, the price is $20. It might not sound much for a fix to your computer woes, but what you probably don’t realise is that the problems it will fix are caused by running a free scan in the first place! It has nothing to do with the state that your computer was in before you decided to run the original scan.The third party hackers work tirelessly to place these pop-ups on our computers in the hope that a percentage of the recipients will be naïve enough to believe that having away with their money will resolve the original problems. The pop-ups will disappear, but the malware is still there. This isn’t good at all. In fact, it can leave a system vulnerable to further attacks from more sophisticated hackers.It has been speculated that PatchUpdate.info also dumps a pile of spyware on the user’s system. Unlike the pop-ups, this will NOT disappear when you pay for the patch.So why would anybody pay for the match in the first place? Well, when you visit the website, it’s easy to see why; cyber scaremongering at its best.See the technical description on the PatchUpdate.info website:“A security vulnerability exists in the Microsoft® Messenger Service that could allow arbitrary code execution on an affected system. The vulnerability results because the Messenger Service does not properly validate the length of a message before passing it to the allocated buffer.

An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could be able to run code with Local System privileges on an affected system, or could cause the Messenger Service to fail. The attacker could then take any action on the system, including installing programs, viewing, changing or deleting data, or creating new accounts with full privileges.”

Of course, what the website fails to mention is that the security has ALREADY been breached when the same company exploited the same security gap to place their pop-ups on your system.

In short, you’re paying to uninstall their corruptive software!

If you are suffering from pop-ups directing you to download the patch, don’t pay attention to the “advice”. Look instead for an anti-malware package which will scan your system and remove the infestation. This is the best way to get rid of the pop-ups AND the software behind them.

Other methods such as disabling the Windows Messenger Service or upgrading to Windows XP Service Pack 2 are viable, but they won’t completely remove the problem.

Always be suspicious when the Windows Messenger Service tells you to visit a blatant third party website. The messenger service has its own use, and that most certainly isn’t to recommend you to random websites across the web. Just think, would Microsoft really include that in their operating systems? We think not!

PatchUpdate.info is surely living on borrowed time before a Microsoft lawsuit. But until then, we suggest that you ignore the false claims of security breaches and protect yourself with a genuine anti-virus suite.

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