Support Forums

Hello! I've Decided to make a little tutorial about how to avoid viruses when downloading files

Downloading Stuff

Of course everyone is downloading music, Videos, Images, Games etc etc. and if you are unlucky you can easily get viruses. So this is how you avoid getting viruses by downloading things.

1. You only Download from a trusted site. and not a unsecure site.
To recognize a unsecure site is easy. i'm not saying that every site like this is unsecure but mostly. If the website you want to download from have many ads like " you're the 100000001 person to visit this site! " and the site is very sloppy, You should consider to find you download elsewhere. The most secure websites is the most known. The piratebay for example, Many people download here and there is mostly trusted people that upload. But beware here aswell! the more popular the site is the more targeted it is. But Read comments and ratings before you download.

2. P2P programs ( LimeWire bearshare ETC)
This is a very popular way for people to download, But Can be Very unsecure since you can't read other peoples experience on the file. But the most targeted here is people with bad Computing experience and want to download the new rihanna single. becuase most of the music files on P2P are viruses disguised as sound files. it's so easy to get virus by just searchin "the new single from that artist" download the file, opens it and it plays music While something you don't want enter you system.

Files that are infected

If you've just downloaded a Music for or image etc etc check that your file is .jpg .png .wav .mp3 ETC and not .exe becase if it is an .exe it's guaranteed that it contains a virus.
something else that is popular for people to put virus in is cracks for games. then the file is .exe first you scan the file with your antivirus if it don't find anything upload it to www.virustotal.com and check the result. if no result the file should be secure

Targeted people and files

The most targeted files for viruses is Music & cracks. Because it's what people are downloading most. The more popular the game or song is the higher chance for virus.

The most popular targets is people with low computer experience or gamers. and the files are mostly equipped with dumpers.

Music= P2P and torrent sites. ( targets is to gain Mail, social sites. ebay and paypal ETC
Cracks= Torrent sites and forums. ( same as above but targets here are steam, MMO accounts ETC that the gold companies want a hand on)

Short & easy

1. Download from trusted sites & uploaders at that site
2. check if the file extension is right that an image is .jpg and not .exe
3. Scan downloaded files with antivirus and online virus scanner.
4. Check comments on file before you download. don't download if bad comments.
5. Don't download files that you get in PM from someone that links you to a upload site. it may not be a virus but beware!

Yup that's it! i hope i've managed to write something that may get people to think a little security when they are downloading

Happy downloading and stay secure!

And just a tool i forget to add is Sandboxie, Sandboxie is a tool that runs the opened file in an closed enviroment so the file don't touch your windows.

http://www.sandboxie.com/index.php?DownloadSandboxie For fownload

Thanks ofr this. ;)

Also you can put that if they are not sure about running the file they should test it with sandboxie.

Also as for torrent they should look mostly in comments from other people see if the file is legit.

Thanks for the tut

Good information, thank you.

Thanks for good responses

@acekidd01 yeah sandboxie is very important but its easy to forget when writing in the middle of the night

i also found that if you scan something and it comes up as 2 viruses then there is almost certainly some malware binded to it

One example of a trusted download site is http://download.com/. They make sure the downloads are clean.

(10-09-2009, 03:10 AM)Supremacy Wrote: [ -> ]Thanks for good responses

@acekidd01 yeah sandboxie is very important but its easy to forget when writing in the middle of the night

I know what your saying bro lol

Whenever I download off warez sites... I usually look at the post count and/or member status of the member who posted the warez... If its usually less than 1000 posts or "junior member" status or equivalent, I never download ...

Yeah, it makes a lot of sense.

But maybe you should edit it and include some links to online virus scanning services such as:

http://anubis.iseclab.org/
www.virustotal.com
http://scanner.novirusthanks.org/
www.jotti.org

There is another one VirScan.org, but I didn't include it as it is has been up and down recently, which it is now, but it is also quite good.

And it has also been suggested, include Sandboxie with a link to it as well:

http://www.sandboxie.com/

Well done though!