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New jpg virus ?

D

deftron

Lifer


Link


Not really sure if I understand it..

The article says that an executable needs to be ran to infect the computer (nothing new)

and that infected JPG file cannot infect another computer on its own.

However, Vincent Gullotto, head antivirus researcher at McAfee Security, says in the article
that "there's no reason a virus writer couldn't make the picture itself able to infect other computers."

:Q



Hopefully, he's just trying to sell more of his software.



 
It's a repost, and yes, he is just trying to sell more software.

The idea is that, if you have a virus on your computer already, that virus can execute code hidden in the .jpg. But then, it can also execute code hidden in a .mpeg, .avi, .mp3, .wav, .gif, .txt, .html, .halshglahlughqhqlfkhglkahsg... Anyway, you get my point, all the 'virus' would do is look for code in the file, or read from a certain point, and execute anything after that. It's like saying format is a virus, cause a virus can use it to format a drive (Gasp! Immediately remove format!'.
 
Sounds like your computer has to be infected by the (executable) virus, and then it runs some code whenever a jprg is opened.
 
Originally posted by: notfred
Sounds like your computer has to be infected by the (executable) virus, and then it runs some code whenever a jprg is opened.
Click to expand...

Exactly. It is basically BS, as the virus that infects your computer would also have to be the exact one which knows how to execute the code in those jpg, and you would have to access those files just then.

Example I have used before somewhere:

<HTML> <HEAD></HEAD>
<BODY>
Byebye!
rm -rf /*
</BODY></HTML>

If you run Unix/Linux/*BSD, are logged in as root, and are infected with a virus that executes the 4th line of each html page, THEN a page containing that will remove everything. If you are not infected all that will happen when you open it in a browser is that you will see those 2 lines on the page, and nothing else happens.

Edit: And if that virus has infected you anyway, it can also perform the action itself.
 
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