Scan Incoming Music

[jringo]

If I download a mp3 I always right click on it and scan it. My Morpheus program has, in its settings, a window in which to enter the location of the exe of my virus scanner. In the avast folder which exe should I steer it to?          J

[Eddy]

I recommended to remove Morpheus since it comes with spyware. But if you insist using it, use the AshQuick.exe to scan files in the settings.

[jringo]

Thanks for the super quick reply...by the way Avast is running A-OK now....
       Thanks again Ringo  

[Eddy]

Thanks for the super quick reply

Eeehhhhh quick? If you stick around here, you will find out that it is a pretty normal response time on this board.

[Xenomorph]

why would you scan a MP3 file?

[Eddy]

Xenomorph, what makes you think a file with extension .mp3 is indeed a mp3 file? Filenames/extensions can easily be changed.

Besides that, for a long time people thought it wasn't possible to create harmfull images. But recently it has been proven it can be done. What is making you think this can't happen to true mp3 files?

[Xenomorph]

a computer wont execute a file with a MP3 extension. a virus with a ".mp3" filename is harmless as far as i know.

[Eddy]

a computer wont execute a file with a MP3 extension

A computer never, ever will execute anything unless the user (you) tells it do so. No mather if it is a mp3 or anything else.

Obviously you don't know enough about security. I won't do it ofcourse, but may I send you a .mp3? And I am sure it will be one that is indeed malware. And I'm sure it wil cause you a lot of trouble to get your sstem back working as you want it. NEVER judge a file by its extension and never automaticly asume a certain file(extension) is safe. That is one of the reasons that people get into troubles.

If people who have/use a computer would have enough knowledge about security and indeed would protect their system(s) as they should, malware like blaster and sasser would have never had a impact like they did now. It is solely and only blaim to the users (unfortunatly) that those things can and still spread rapidly and widely as they do.

[Lisandro]

Obviously you don't know enough about security.

Nothing is obvious in computer land  

If people who have/use a computer would have enough knowledge about security and indeed would protect their system(s) as they should, malware like blaster and sasser would have never had a impact like they did now. It is solely and only blaim to the users (unfortunatly) that those things can and still spread rapidly and widely as they do.

Well, this will be the paradise: everyone knowing everything but we're glad that there is people who need to learn, need help... this way we can do something useful, can't we?  
Besides this, computer is not the most essential science in world, in my opinion  

[bingy]

a computer wont execute a file with a MP3 extension. a virus with a ".mp3" filename is harmless as far as i know.

Xenomorph is made from a million pieces of old bubble gum, ha, imagine that
In the summer of 2003 on his way home from an Alice Cooper concert
Xenomorph started to melt onto the sidewalk
It was too hot in LA and he melted like a pink bitch
"Ha ha ha ha ha"
Luckily though there was Eric Phillips, a local crocodile who dabbled in black magic
He took pity on Xenomorph and scraped him of the floor with a pair of fish slices
He poured him into an antique soup ladle and boarded his magic carpet
"Ha ha.."
Destination Alaska

Eric Phillips decided to refreeze Xenomorph
But in his cold blooded reptilian haste he refroze him into to the shape of a hoover
"I wasn't thinking"
Xenomorph wasn't fazed though, he just zoomed about the place sucking up Inuits "ha ha. oh"
The Inuits didn't mind, they loved it in Xenomorph's pink tight warm belly pouch, and they refused to come out
Xenomorph said, "I'm cool with that."

And set fire to a posh hammer to make it official
"I appear to be on fire"
The down side was that the Inuits suffocated immediately
It was airtight in there
Xenomorph panicked and fired the tiny Inuit bullets into Eric's crocodile peepers
"After all I did for you. oooh"
The green shape was frozen

After a quick drink Xenomorph stole Eric Phillips magic carpet
And left for Seattle
Xenomorph was racked with guilt, he'd killed 50 Inuits
No-one needs that

He decided to spend the rest of his life putting small hairstyles onto boots, monkey nuts, trumpets and spanners.

[RejZoR]

File with .MP3 extension cannot be executed as .EXE file nomatter how hard you try.
It will only load your default MP3 player software and give you error that file cannot be played since it's not an valid audio file.
There could be some vulnerability/exploit to do this,but at this moment,there is no such thing and most probably won't be any.

[Delta]

Hi, this is a little off topic but .WMA files can install ad/spyware. The .wma files themselves are clean.

Risk Your PC's Health for a Song?
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,119016,00.asp
Protect Yourself From Audio Adware
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,119063,00.asp

[RejZoR]

We are talking about .MP3 files. Also WMA files found on P2P are DRM protected and cannot be played(except home coded WMA files which are very rare). So thats not a possibility...

[inthewildteam]

@ RejZor

mp3 files with hidden payloads have even been shown to work on Mac os x ........ opening the mp3 player and also capable of installing other files, whilst still playing the music file.  Not saying that this has been shown as a threat, but *nix and Windoze players and systems are not immune to this kind of attack.

I'm with Eddy on this one.

[RejZoR]

People you are just way too paranoid. You have to draw a line somewhere...
You can execute content of such files only by exploiting its vulnerabilities which are currently not available or known. At least not for well known and used WinAMP player (they patch it regulary). And standard Shield checks such files anyway so i don't see the point of doublescanning them with same AV engine...
More problematic are WMA fles which can execute further scripts in WMP.