Windows Update was acting very suspiciously this morning...

[Deane]

I've had the Windows Update icon in my system tray for a while, and
the lone update (SP3) always failed to install for some reason.

This morning, I decided to go through the browser in the hopes that I
would get some kind of error message I could follow up on.

I opened Windows Update through the start menu.

IE opened to "update.microsoft.com," and I got an information bar that
I need to authorize an ActiveX control.

Weird thing was, the referenced add-on was "'DTBDOT~1.ocx' from
'ALLTEL (unverified publisher)'".

Who is ALLTEL? Why are they wanting to run ActiveX controls on
Microsoft's own site? And why would they be unverified?

I got to wondering if this was a man-in-the-middle attack. I checked
my HOSTS file for rogue entries, but found nothing.

I pinged "update.microsoft.com" and it came back "65.55.184.93".
Reverse DNS failed to resolve, but there was a pointer to
"update.microsoft.com.nsatc.com."

What is "nsatc.com"? I tried to pull this up in a browser, but it
doesn't resolve.

Needless to say, I didn't do the update.

So...does all this seem weird to anyone else?

[Deane]

I tried on my computer at the office, and I did not get prompted to
load that ActiveX control. Additionally, I searched the controls
currently installed, and it did not appear anywhere.

Deane

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

Alltel is/was a wireless provider which was/is being acquired by Verizon;
cf. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alltel

Were you connecting via a wireless USB key at home (or wherever you were at
the time)?

>> I've had the Windows Update icon in my system tray for a while, and
>> the lone update (SP3) always failed to install for some reason.

WinXP SP3 - Read all prerequisites for a successful installation
http://msmvps.com/blogs/harrywaldron/archive/2008/05/08/windows-xp-sp3-read-all-prerequisites-for-a-successful-installation.aspx

Free unlimited installation and compatibility support is available for
Windows XP, but only for Service Pack 3 (SP3), until 14 Apr-09. Chat and
e-mail support is available only in the United States and Canada. Go to
http://support.microsoft.com/oas/default.aspx?gprid=1173 | select "Windows
XP" then select "Windows XP Service Pack 3"
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Desktop Experience - since 2002
AumHa VSOP & Admin http://aumha.net
DTS-L http://dts-l.net/

[Deane]

On Nov 13, 10:46 am, "PA Bear [MS MVP]" <PABear...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Deanewrote:

> cf.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alltel

>
> Were you connecting via a wireless USB key at home (or wherever you were at
> the time)?
>
> >> I've had the Windows Update icon in my system tray for a while, and
> >> the lone update (SP3) always failed to install for some reason.
>

> WinXP SP3 - Read all prerequisites for a successful installationhttp://msmvps.com/blogs/harrywaldron/archive/2008/05/08/windows-xp-sp...

>
> Free unlimited installation and compatibility support is available for
> Windows XP, but only for Service Pack 3 (SP3), until 14 Apr-09. Chat and

> e-mail support is available only in the United States and Canada.  Go tohttp://support.microsoft.com/oas/default.aspx?gprid=1173| select "Windows

> XP" then select "Windows XP Service Pack 3"
> --
> ~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
> MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Desktop Experience - since 2002
> AumHa VSOP & Adminhttp://aumha.net
> DTS-Lhttp://dts-l.net/

Well, I know who Alltel is, I guess, but why would they be trying to
install an ActiveX control on the Microsoft Update site?

Deane

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

Repost:

[Deane]

> > Were you connecting via a wireless USB key at home (or wherever you were at
> > the time)?

No, my connection was wired at the time.

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

PLEASE stop snipping my replies!

Open a free Support Incident.

[I am no longer watching this thread.]