TECHNICALLY, a virus file could be renamed anything.Quote:
Originally posted by fredricodagreat@10 January 2004 - 23:46
Btw, what are the chances of me finding a virus in a .wmv file? Or any other video file in general for that matter.
~Speedy
However a virus (exe, com, bat, pif, scr...) that's been renamed to .wmv is basically harmless because MOST video players don't run executeable code from would-be video files.
One notable exception is Windows Media Player... a .vbs virus renamed as a MP3 file CAN be activated by Windows Media Player. But such files are generally VERY small unless they have overwritten larger existing video files.
If you manage to get a VIRUS from a video file, you've almost managed the impossible at this point -- and antivirus companies might pay you a little money for your 'find'.
On the OTHER hand, WMV and ASF trojan files are very possible -- these can also be renamed as MPG, AVI, and potentially almost any other video (or even audio) file extension and still run. Typically, all these do is open a website... BUT the website may contain further exploits -- ranging from as simple as a web cookie that documents that you (ie:your ip and time) played that file, to a web script that gathers personal info stored in predictable windows registry keys, to a IE exploit which installs a REAL trojan or virus which can do further damage...
