Can a Font File contain a Virus or Malware?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Marianne B.
  • Start date Start date
Hi Marianne,

I've not heard of such. Why do you ask this?

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
 
Marianne B. said:
Can a font file, True Type or other, contain a virus or malware?
Click to expand...

Yes, if this is a bitmap/raster font file (*.fon). These fonts are
executable files similar to 16-bit DLLs. Although containing resources
only, it's certainly no problem to add any code and to run from there.
On the other hand, I've never heard about such case.
 
Interesting information Detlev, I wasn't sure if that would work. Like you,
I've not seen this exploited.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
 
Rick \"Nutcase\" Rogers said:
Interesting information Detlev, I wasn't sure if that would work.
Click to expand...

There are two scenarios that work on such files, at least. If you are
interested in details, you may want to address this issue in DTS-L.
Although these are no secrets at all, I'd like to avoid any abuse
that might occur when posting in the public.
Like you, I've not seen this exploited.
Click to expand...

Yes, thank God.
 
In the past, I never paid much attention to font files, but now I am
using them a lot.
I noticed that, in some cases, 2 different files of the same exact font
can be different sizes, and I thought that the larger file might contain
a virus.
Also, there are a lot of free fonts available on the Web, but I don't
want to be downloading files from obscure websites if they could
contain malware or viruses.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, especially when it
comes to scumware.

M.B.
 
Hi Marianne,

As mentioned by Detlev, conceptually it is possible, though in reality I've
not seen this exploited. Any updated AV program with heuristics scanning
would normally be able to pick up something like this.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
 
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