Suspicious Support Assistant update

[mitchstone42]

When I sat down at my computer this morning (June 21), there was a popup message that HP Support Assistant had automatically installed an important update. Since my computer is rather old (still running Windows 7 Home Ed) and the warranty long since expired, I find it odd that HP would be sending a new "important update" which "improves security and performance". I had to click OK, otherwise the full SA would not open. So, I opened the SA, and clicked every tab and button, and could not find any HISTORICAL DATA whatsoever in regard to what has been installed previously. Come on, HP, even Windows provides that information! I tried searching the internet and the HP site, again to no avail.
I want to know what update was installed on my computer and what it does, and more importantly, whether this was legit, or whether my security software fell down on the job. Anyone know where I can find this info?

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

Hi:

All I can tell you is the same thing happened to me on my HP 8200 Elite CMT business-class desktop PC.

But nothing was installed as far as I could tell.

I'm running W10, and have the HPSA set to notify me of updates but not to automatically download or install them.

I would never in a million years set that program on auto-pilot.

The only thing I can think of is it was an update to the HPSA itself, or some one-off bug in the program.

The message in your screen shot does state that it was an update to the HP Support Assistant.

I highly doubt it was a virus.

[mitchstone42]

Hi Paul,

Yeah, I saw the phrasing "an update TO the HPSA", but I don't recall ever seeing this popup before, and given the age of the computer, why do one now? I also don't trust auto-updaters, so it surprised me that something was getting auto-updated.

At any rate, following your lead, I did a brute-force search of my system drive, and it looks like the "HP Support Solutions Framework" is what got updated, and is probably the reason for the update to .NET (which is probably needed by the HPSA/HPSSF).

Thanks for responding.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

Thanks for letting me know exactly what got updated.