Are binary files a virus risk?

Are binary files safe to launch without a virus scan? If not, what is
the safest procedure for viewing and scanning?

I used to launch these all the time without a thought about viruses.
But I have been trying to be more careful so would appreciate some
advice. I am hoping at least in the moderated groups they are
pre-scanned.

Thanks for any advice.
Sandy
--

On Sat, 20 Aug 2005 17:58:46 -0500, Sandy M <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

>Are binary files safe to launch without a virus scan? If not, what is
>the safest procedure for viewing and scanning?
>
>I used to launch these all the time without a thought about viruses.
>But I have been trying to be more careful so would appreciate some
>advice. I am hoping at least in the moderated groups they are
>pre-scanned.

You seem to be concerned with so-called binary files posted on
newsgroups. And you're presumably concerned with supposedly
safe files to launch in a application that handles them ... picture
image files and multimedia files. In other words, the files should be
simply harmless data files. Right?

Well, be careful of them. Take a HTM or HTML file for example. What
is your default browser and what are its security settings? What
about .DOC files opening in Word that have macro viruses?

And what about hidden file extensions? Are you sure that that alleged
JPG picture image file is that and not actually a .EXE file? That's a
trick that's often used in newsgroups:

iamanicefile.jpg .exe

A bunch of spaces in the file name hiding the actual .exe extension.

Art

http://home.epix.net/~artnpeg

From: "Sandy M" <(E-Mail Removed)>

| Are binary files safe to launch without a virus scan? If not, what is
| the safest procedure for viewing and scanning?
|
| I used to launch these all the time without a thought about viruses.
| But I have been trying to be more careful so would appreciate some
| advice. I am hoping at least in the moderated groups they are
| pre-scanned.
|
| Thanks for any advice.
| Sandy
| --

Binary files can be considered any non text file. It could be a JPEG, a BIN file or EXE
file or other. If you are not sure of the source you should not launch it. If it is
something you think *may* be safe, don't launch it, save it to the hard disk. The "On
Access" scanning capabilities of your AV software should scan the file as it is written to
the hard disk. If you are still concerned, submit the file to Virus Total --
http://www.virustotal.com/flash/index_en.html

--
Dave
http://www.claymania.com/removal-trojan-adware.html
http://www.ik-cs.com/got-a-virus.htm

On Sun, 21 Aug 2005 00:18:01 GMT, "David H. Lipman"
<DLipman~nospam~@Verizon.Net> wrote:

>From: "Sandy M" <(E-Mail Removed)>
>
>| Are binary files safe to launch without a virus scan? If not, what is
>| the safest procedure for viewing and scanning?
>|
>| I used to launch these all the time without a thought about viruses.
>| But I have been trying to be more careful so would appreciate some
>| advice. I am hoping at least in the moderated groups they are
>| pre-scanned.
>|
>| Thanks for any advice.
>| Sandy
>| --
>
>Binary files can be considered any non text file. It could be a JPEG, a BIN file or EXE
>file or other. If you are not sure of the source you should not launch it. If it is
>something you think *may* be safe, don't launch it, save it to the hard disk. The "On
>Access" scanning capabilities of your AV software should scan the file as it is written to
>the hard disk. If you are still concerned, submit the file to Virus Total --
>http://www.virustotal.com/flash/index_en.html

Thanks for the advice. I am really very careful about viruses and
spyware except for in newsgroups. I only rarely take a chance but no
more!
Sandy
--

"Sandy M" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Are binary files safe to launch without a virus scan? If not, what is
> the safest procedure for viewing and scanning?
>
> I used to launch these all the time without a thought about viruses.
> But I have been trying to be more careful so would appreciate some
> advice. I am hoping at least in the moderated groups they are
> pre-scanned.
>
In a word *NO* as for the second part of your question. The safest
procedure for viewing is to first quarantine the suspect file for a few
days just to make sure that there isn't any *new* virus that is out for
which none of the major (also the minor) AV companies have received a copy
of with which to make a data file update to their software for it to be able
to both identify and eradicate it.
Of course that would be in a perfect world; because almost no one wants
to wait days to weeks to open a file. If however the sender is suspect then
you have to use the wet ware between your ears and make as much of an
informed decision as you can. Then if you don't want to wait before
scanning it, go ahead and scan it. More then likely if it is any virus or
other malware which has been in the wild for some time then any of the major
AV software makers product should be able to find if it is a virus or other
malicious file.


--
From the Desk of Sugien
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@###{ ]:::::ino-Soft Software::::::>
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