Hi there. I’ve been wondering about these questions for a while now and since I trust most of the Avast members, I decided to ask these questions here. Mind you, I’m pretty “un-knowledgeable” about this kind of stuff, so my apologies for any obvious or silly questions.
Are things like video game console memory cards/sticks (like this) able to be scanned for malware/infections like any other type of removable media? (I want to check to make sure some memory sticks (like a used one) are safe to use and such).
Is any type of removable media more difficult to scan or more susceptible to malware than others?
There are programs out there specifically for scanning removable media, yes? I’m assuming those are more reliable than programs like MBAM or antiviruses like Avast since they specialize in that field? Or will programs like the aforementioned (MBAM, Avast etc…) work well enough that it’s not necessary to have a program especially for removable media?
What kind of malware attaches to removable media and how common are they? I used to think anything malicious immediately and always infected removable media, but that’s not true, is it?
Is it true that reformatting removable media gets rid of any malware on them?
EDIT: Got rid of some irrelevant questions.
Thanks for taking the time to read this!
Thanks in advance!
-Misuzu
And sorry if this is a silly question but…
Can Avast! or MCShield accurately scan removable media other than flashdrives? In that, they can detect infections just as easily on one removable media as another? I use several different kinds of removable media, not just flashdrives.
For example, I want to scan a memory stick for the PSP game console for malware. Is a memory stick/card for a game console even able to be scanned?
EDIT: I did some research and it seems like the term “USB Drive” applies to more than what I thought were flashdrives. From what I can gather, it sounds like PSP memory sticks are considered USB drives/flashdrives. Is this correct? If so, my bad.
Not really though in some rare cases cheap products from china have included pre-infected removable media. I once won an mp3 player in a little grab bag thng that came with a keylogger virus.
No, not necessary to have a program dedicated to scanning removable media.
Typically polymorphic style viruses will write to removable media but typically only executable files…the popularity of these seem to be dying quite a bit from what I’ve seen though.
A flash drive/ USB stick are all the same no matter where purchased. The XBOX USB drive can only be used in an XBOX. No reason to run MC Shield. Just immunize your USB stick. Read here.
