Re: Can malware migrate thru folders?

TomC wrote:
hi Guys,
We often are saving clients data/documents from infected PCs onto
USB hard-drives.
I used to scan them under my Windows system, but my partner is
paranoid that some trojans etc are capable of leaping out &
infecting my system, so she scans under Linux.
I imagine that there may be bits & pieces of malware but...
aren't they disconnected from the OS? Can an .exe run itself?

Most of the time - unless you RUN a file from an external drive - nothing
will happen.

However - there are some devious trojans/worms/viruses out there - so, is it
possible that just connected a USB drive to your computer and some default
action of your computer on this new file system might trigger an infection?
Sure. It's very slim, but possible.

More likely you will visit some web page and/or open some email and become
infested.

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html


.