A general virus question

  • Thread starter Thread starter kenward. rfe
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kenward. rfe

OK perhaps it's a bit off topic...... If I run my email client
together with the space it requires for email storage from one dedicated
H drive partition, what's the score if I pick up a virus that does not
need to be opened to infect the system? Will the infection be contained
within that partition? Am I right that there are a few viruses that will
infect a system even if not opened? Naturally I am running up to date
virus protection.

Thanks

Richard
 
i'd say the score would be 3-0 to the viruses

if it can execute without user interaction it will, wether you have your
email client on a:\ c:\ d:\ t:\ z:\ **

most viruses copy themselves into %windir% or %windir\system32 no matter
where you run them from (be it a:\ c:\ d:\ t:\ z:\ etc) (makes no difference
if you run them or the nice email client runs them without your consent :-)
within that partition? Am I right that there are a few viruses that will
Click to expand...
infect a system even if not opened?

** im not sure about this anymore, i think obsolete versions of lookout
express did this (v5.x or earlier), and maybe more recent versions if you
didnt get some ms html security patches, but dont quote me


if your worried and you use that dodgy microsoft email client, simply ditch
it eh?
 
from the wonderful person said:
OK perhaps it's a bit off topic...... If I run my email client
together with the space it requires for email storage from one
dedicated H drive partition, what's the score if I pick up a virus that
does not need to be opened to infect the system? Will the infection be
contained within that partition? Am I right that there are a few
viruses that will infect a system even if not opened? Naturally I am
running up to date virus protection.
Click to expand...

AFAIK, there are no email-delivered viruses that run without being
opened, although 'opened' with some (old, un-patched) versions of
outlook express can simply mean that you previewed the contents in a
preview pane.

There are viruses that arrive via file sharing (Kazaa, open network
shares) or systems vulnerabilities (RPC calls, or whatever) which can
infect, and get run, without you doing anything .. they do not arrive
(in that form) by email though.

If you get infected, anything anywhere on your PC (and indeed network)
is at risk. Nothing is confined to a particular disk or partition.
 
In a message dated Sun, 22 Aug 2004 16:38:30, GSV Three Minds in a Can
writes:

snip
AFAIK, there are no email-delivered viruses that run without being
opened, although 'opened' with some (old, un-patched) versions of
outlook express can simply mean that you previewed the contents in a
preview pane.

There are viruses that arrive via file sharing (Kazaa, open network
shares) or systems vulnerabilities (RPC calls, or whatever) which can
infect, and get run, without you doing anything .. they do not arrive
(in that form) by email though.

If you get infected, anything anywhere on your PC (and indeed network)
is at risk. Nothing is confined to a particular disk or partition.
Click to expand...

Thanks... I did respond earlier but my reply has not got here
yet...wonder why! Ah just seen I sent it directly to John so I will
past it below. I always have my internet computer totally removed from
the network even though at times it is inconvenient but that way I know
I am safe.

Cheers

Richard
....................................

Thanks for the explanation.....I changed over/back to Turnpike a couple
of years ago but am aware that the virus writers are becoming ever more
determined.

I have just installed Linux along side XP to investigate that for email
collection. Sadly it seems that Turnpike will not easily run with
Linux. This is a shame because there is much in TP that I like over what
I can see of the alternatives in Linux. As for web browsing, I have
replaced the ADSL modem with a router to achieve greater safety.
 
kenward. rfe said:
what's the score if I pick up a virus
that does not need to be opened to infect the system? Will the
infection be contained within that partition? Am I right that there
are a few viruses that will infect a system even if not opened?
Click to expand...

No such thing. As has already been noted, "Opened" can be a very loose
concept with some buggy insecure email programs, but a computer virus is
nothing else but a computer program with some particular characteristics.
Nothing more, nothing less, and certainly nothing magic.

Like all computer programs, a virus can't do anything unless it is actually
'ran'.
 
No such thing. As has already been noted, "Opened" can be a very loose
concept with some buggy insecure email programs, but a computer virus
is nothing else but a computer program with some particular
characteristics. Nothing more, nothing less, and certainly nothing
magic.

Like all computer programs, a virus can't do anything unless it is
actually 'ran'.
Click to expand...

also sorta off topic... but what if the system32 folder, or the windows
folder in general, were made read only? Or... there is something that
controls what can get in and allows people to choose yes or no... like a
firewall?
 
Theo said:
also sorta off topic... but what if the system32 folder, or the
windows folder in general, were made read only? Or... there is
something that controls what can get in and allows people to choose
yes or no... like a firewall?
Click to expand...

Ah you mean locking the permissions down on the folder and not logging in as
admin? Works fairly well for me, but so many crappy applications assume that
the user is running as admin and these apps get snotty when they can't write
crap wherever they want. Actually this behaviour on the part of apps is one
of the reasons windows can sometimes be unreliable.
 
Robert said:
No such thing. As has already been noted, "Opened" can be a very loose
concept with some buggy insecure email programs, but a computer virus is
nothing else but a computer program with some particular characteristics.
Nothing more, nothing less, and certainly nothing magic.

Like all computer programs, a virus can't do anything unless it is actually
'ran'.
Click to expand...

As john's post alluded to, there have been exploits which only require
clicking on a link or previewing. Whether they have all been patched, I
dunno. If I were to use O/OE, I'd lock it down with good settings and
possibly 3rd party patches.

michael
 
Michael said:
As john's post alluded to, there have been exploits which only require
clicking on a link or previewing. Whether they have all been
patched, I dunno. If I were to use O/OE, I'd lock it down with good
settings and possibly 3rd party patches.
Click to expand...

The the exploit code causes the malware to exectute, as i said in my
original post.

Malware is just an undesirable computer program. And computer programs are
*not* magic.
 
OK perhaps it's a bit off topic...... If I run my email client
together with the space it requires for email storage from one dedicated
H drive partition, what's the score if I pick up a virus that does not
need to be opened to infect the system? Will the infection be contained
within that partition? Am I right that there are a few viruses that will
infect a system even if not opened? Naturally I am running up to date
virus protection.

Thanks

Richard
Click to expand...


I believe than nowadays you can await anything that is immaginable.
The only limit is the competence of the writer.
 
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