RE: MP 11 a virus magnet
- From: Dale <dale0973@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 8 Feb 2007 12:46:01 -0800
What you typed seems perfectly clear to me. It means you understand most of
what I said.
You may have other non-Microsoft unpatched software on your PC. There have
been security patches for FireFox, WinAmp, Adobe Acrobat, and many other
programs. Go through every application on your PC and be sure you have the
latest patches or uninstall the program.
By peer-to-peer, though, I mean applications that allow you to find music
online in someone else's PC and download it to your PC. This is the type of
service Napster and Kazaa both used to provide though I understand they've
both gone "legitimate" now. Of course, in my opinion, that legitimacy is
only with the RIAA and not at all with PC users. There was never a
settlement for all of the spyware, keyloggers, trojans etc. that were
installed with those services. The only settlement was with the RIAA for
delivering illegitimate music. That makes me believe those companies will
still include malware with their services, they just aren't going to get sued
by the RIAA for it.
I don't know how else you're getting viruses and trojans but I doubt it is
WMP directly. I would look for any music downloading software on your PC.
Other than that, you may need to call in a local expert to review your
firewall settings and network protections, etc. A more thorough scan of your
PC may be required.
Dale
--
Dale Preston
MCAD C#
MCSE, MCDBA
"Jan the Kiteflier" wrote:
Thanks for your speedy response, Dale..
My Windows Updates are set to automatic and I checked last evening for any
additional patches and nothing further was indicated. I'm also fully aware of
the risks of downloads coming with added goodies.
What I do is listen to stations I've selected from the radio station guide
provided by WMP on a web page, adding them to my play list - but not those
where you must go to the site. If that's what you mean by peer to peer, then
yes I do. The music is not downloaded, however, but just listened to. I
haven't started with Napster yet, don't know if this would happen with other
players eg. RealPlayer or Quicktime.
The AV window that pops up notifies me of a virus and allows me to delete it
on the spot, doesn't indicate an infection but I always run a full scan as a
precaution and if one is spotted, it is promptly dealt with. I just don't
know how they're getting in. I'd like to join Napster in order to download
and transfer music but until I get to the bottom of this, won't bother.
What I just typed seems about as clear as mud. I hope you can dig through
it and offer another suggestion...
Many thanks - Jan
--
Jan the Kiteflier
"Dale" wrote:
Typically, an alert from your anti-virus software is not an indication you
have been infected; it is an indication that your anti-virus software
prevented an infection. If you actually got infected and the file wasn't
caught when it first entered your PC, your anti-virus program is not doing
its job.
So, what makes you think it was WMP11 that opened the door to those viruses?
Are you using any peer-to-peer file sharing applications to download MP3s?
If so, I would bet money that is the source of your infection. I know for
certain from experience resolving issues on many PCs that the original
Napster and the original Kazaa programs were often distributed with trojans
and viruses. It is my guess that any new peer-to-peer programs would be the
same.
Once infected with some of those tools, and many anti-viruses do not report
all trojans - especially the ones they have made financial arrangements with,
then some remote PC or server could have a field day with installing new
trojans, spyware, or viruses on your PC. If you're using peer-to-peer
software for downloading MP3s, I am surprised that you only got 4 alerts from
your anti-virus program.
If you're not using peer-to-peer, I suggest making sure your PC is fully
patched using Microsoft Update and doing a full scan of your PC and then
being cautious where you go online and how you handle your emails.
I have never, in 20+ years of using a PC, had even an alert from an
anti-virus application on my home PCs except where I was intentionally
experimenting with files as part of my effort to clean other peoples' PCs
from the viruses they had received through peer-to-peer file sharing. I keep
my PC patched and I keep my anti-virus software up to date. That doesn't
mean safe surfing is a certain guarantee that you'll never get a virus - even
Amazon has been hacked and used to spread viruses in the past - but usually
viruses are completely avoidable.
Dale
--
Dale Preston
MCAD C#
MCSE, MCDBA
"Jan the Kiteflier" wrote:
Howdy! I'm using Win XP, IE 6 cuz I still don't trust IE 7 and F-Secure
security suite. I often engage MP 11 to hear music while multi-tasking.
FOUR times in the past month my F-Secure AV has popped up a notice that a
vermin has gotten in, once a trojan. I had to stop everything and run a scan
to get rid of the critters. It's annoying as hell. Anybody else have this
happening? Is there a security patch for it? Suggestions anyone?
Tnx...
--
Jan the Kiteflier
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