Viruses - Do you get them and why?

superscaper

BillScarab wrote: »

Well according to my AV software I've not had any viruses for a long time, I can't actually remember when the last one was or what it was. I do remember it was a file I downloaded and scanned before opening and it was infected so I got rid of it sharpish. I'm surprised I've not seen anything more recently as I do use P2P software on occasion and I'm an inveterate stumbler.

BTW robt 15 years in computers makes me feel very old. When I started it was called DP and we never got viruses using punched cards.

Surpised you got hit so quick behind a firewall Superscraper.

Tell me about it. It shouldn't happen but no denying that it did. So I probably put more stock into using software firewalls as well as hardware than I might otherwise have done.

sleep2much

weegie.geek wrote: »

Software perhaps, but if you've downloaded a movie, but the actual file is an executable of sorts, as opposed to a media file, shouldn't they be somewhat suspicious?

Some movies ask you to download a codec, a bit like divx, but is in fact a trojan installer, never download a new codec without doing a search about it first.
Yes kids searching for passwords for games can also install all kinds of baddies.

weegie.geek

sleep2much wrote: »

Some movies ask you to download a codec, a bit like divx, but is in fact a trojan installer, never download a new codec without doing a search about it first.
Yes kids searching for passwords for games can also install all kinds of baddies.

Or use something like gspot to find out what codec it uses and download the codec from a legit website, manually.

CHR15

weegie.geek wrote: »

Or use something like gspot to find out......

Been searching for that for years!!!! :D

Zahc

CHR15 wrote: »

Been searching for that for years!!!! :D

I think you'll find it's other name is 'her purse'..........

CHR15

Her purse, my wallet.... it all involves poking about in seldom used orifices!

sleep2much

weegie.geek wrote: »

Or use something like gspot to find out what codec it uses and download the codec from a legit website, manually.

It's usually on the latest movies, the begining of the file will play normally and tell you to go to whatever.com to get the something player, it's the bogus something player that installs the virus stuff, you will be able to watch the movie you downloaded but by then the damage is done, and it's a 99% chance that it's a porno film, and not Trek wars you expected, yes these files can be opened without going to the iffy something player site.

I can see this thread getting pulled.