Questions tagged [malware]
Malware is any software application which subverts the will of the legitimate owner of a computer, by means of force or subterfuge, with or without personal or monetary gain on the part of the creator.
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Help! My home PC has been infected by a virus! What do I do now?
This is an attempt to ask a canonical question as discussed in this old meta post. The goal is to create something helpful that can be used as a duplicate when non experts ask about virus infections.
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How secure are virtual machines really? False sense of security?
I was reading this CompTIA Security+ SYO-201 book, and the author David Prowse claims that:
Whichever VM you select, the VM cannot cross the software boundaries set in
place. For example, a virus ...
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How do you explain the necessity of "nuke it from orbit" to management and users?
When a machine has been infected with malware, most of us here immediately identify the appropriate action as "nuke it from orbit" - i.e. wipe the system and start over. Unfortunately, this is often ...
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Does a Virtual Machine stop malware from doing harm?
I would like to know if it is safe for the host system of a virtual machine (VM - VirtualBox OSE in my case) to execute malware.
Can a virus break out and read or write data from the host system? ...
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Can you get virus just by visiting a website in Chrome?
I've recently read Google Chrome: The End of Drive-By Downloads. Is it true to say that drive-by-downloads are history in Google Chrome?
So if I have a link (from a spam email) I can right-click >> ...
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Is making a clean install enough to remove potential malware?
Is formatting the disk and reinstalling the system from scratch (to Ubuntu) enough to remove any potential hidden software spyware, keyloggers etc.?
Or can something still persist installed in the ...
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Is there a real possibility of getting malware by “drive-by”?
I know malware can be gotten by downloading and running stuff, but is there a real possibility of just viewing a webpage or clicking a link and getting one?
Assuming using only Firefox / Chrome and ...
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How can USB sticks be dangerous?
We all know the story of the USB drive left outside a power plant which was found by a worker and inserted into a computer to see the contents which then allowed a hack to ensue.
Here is my question, ...
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How to safely view a malicious PDF?
I have a PDF with important information that may contain malware. What would be the best way to view it?
user11101
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How is the "WannaCry" Malware spreading and how should users defend themselves from it?
There's a new strain of attacks which is affecting a lot of systems around the world (including the NHS in the UK and Telefonica in Spain) which is being called "WannaCry" amongst other names.
It ...
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Is there any way to safely examine the contents of a USB memory stick?
Suppose I found a USB memory stick lying around, and wanted to examine its contents in an attempt to locate its rightful owner. Considering that USB sticks might actually be something altogether more ...
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Help! Ransomware encrypted my files. What do I do now?
I just discovered that my files have been encrypted by ransomware.
Can I get my files back? How?
Should I pay the ransom?
What should I do so that this never happens again?
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What are ways I can analyze malware in an infected machine, not just clean it?
I often run into infected devices in my environment and would like to learn more about the specific infections that have gotten in. What are the best tools and techniques I could use to do this? I ...
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Can headphones transmit malware?
Can headphones transmit malware? My friend borrowed my headphones (a pair of Apple EarPods) and plugged them into his Android mobile phone for a few minutes in order to listen to a voice message. ...
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