viruses in mp3; jpeg; mpeg?

Viruses and worms
1

Could somebody please tell me if viruses, worms, trojans etc., can infect any of the following file formats:

  • mp3, ogg, wma, wav (audio)
  • jpg, jpeg, bmp, gifs (graphics)
  • mpeg-1/2/4, avi, (videos)?

I’d like to know as I’m not sure if I should set Avast! to exclude any of these file extensions (to reduce scan time) before it performs a scan.

Thanks in advance! :slight_smile:

2

I can create a .exe with harmfull stuff and rename it to .jpg. So yes they can contain harmfull code. But with image formats the code will not be run if you open it in a image viewer/editer. So you will be safe.

For movie formats:
avi is not a movie format, but a container. A file with extension .avi can be mpeg, divx, xvid etc etc. It is possible to put code in it that automaticly opens a website so you will get infected that way. Downloaded movies are ALWAYS a security risk.

Just buy the music/movies you want. You will have no security risk, you will have good quality and you are not steeling that way.

3

Eddy, u seem to have some really strong feeling on this stealing subjects, don’t you think it is wrong for conpanies to overprice there products and therefor steal from us?.

–lee

4

Eddy, i did not ask them to make the product, they are a multi, multi billion £ companies, he ears millions and millions a day just for people using his buggy product, a system cannot be perfect, so how can you justify overpricing, he has already had many times the money he spent out making that product, plus he makes alot on them over priced pc’s, and then most protection software is over priced, nly a few such as sygate, avast ect are decently priced, i feel zonealarm is getting too much like nortan aswell, to get a firewall, anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-spam should cost about £25, nd then a router with build in firewall should be provided free with your isp, all security shold should really, or just very cheap.
But of course your not going to say there overpriced, your shop would loss money if everything was fairly priced ;D :D.

–lee

5
to get a firewall, anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-spam should cost about £25, nd then a router with build in firewall should be provided free with your isp, all security shold should really, or just very cheap.
My Cabe Co. Charter provides antivirus+Firewall to customers for Free if they have the 3Meg sevice and for $4.95 a month if they have the 256K service.

A router is avaliable for only $10 if you buy through them that has a built in firewall. Which is good because the same router is near $25 in the stores.

6

That’s good advice, thanks Eddy. Fortunately my stuff is all legit… (I d/l only public domain music and videos, i.e. non-copyright, same with software i.e. freeware).

7
A router is avaliable for only $10 if you buy through them
Thanks Eddy guess I'd better check with Comcast and see if they have something similar.
8

Eeehhhhh… Better thank MAC. It wasn’t me who said they are $10 ;D Here a preety decent home router/firewall will cost about 40 euro. Personbally I use the Zyxel 10 url=http://www.speedguide.net/read_reviews.php?id=104[/url]

9

Sorry, It was Mac :slight_smile: