Important Question About Spyware/Virus: Can .MP4 Files Be Infected?

NiceAndShy said:

Sorry, but what do you mean by "onboard security"? Are you referring to the anti-virus that's running on my Windows 10 Pro PC?

Yes. It means whatever security measures are in place on your PC including AV.

NiceAndShy said:

Are you saying that by NOT using Windows Media Player I'll be safe?

WMP is just fine. Just proceed as I had outlined in my post.

NiceAndShy said:

Hi all,

Sorry to ask such a basic question, but I know people are always inventing new spyware/viruses so I just wanted to check if it was possible for an .MP4 file to be infected with a virus?

I've been feeling a lot of paranoia around this question so any help would be great!

NiceAndShy said:

My new serious priority is about .RAR files:

I need to download about 100 .RAR files from an internet website, but I'm VERY worried that these .RAR files may contain a virus...

How can I open these .RAR files and keep myself safe?

dalchina said:

Another approach: Sandboxie

NiceAndShy said:

Thanks for the idea, but I'd much prefer to not need to install another 3rd party app.

To this day, I have never come across any videos (real videos) that are infected but is probable it can be done. I download a lot of videos, watch them, and delete most of them. Never seen anything malicious in any of them. I think is more probable that you download something (as explained by someone else here) that try to fool you into thinking that is a video, and when you click it, it prompts you to download an (infected) codec or malware.

As I was reading your thread, I started thinking about Sandboxie, and more so when I read that you need to open about 100 RAR files, and then I saw dalchina recommend it. Unfortunately, you shoot that suggestion down.

I wont insist about SBIE, but I will tell you this. This is something I written many times over the years about Sandboxie. Discovering SBIE is the luckiest thing that ever happened to me related to computers. And choosing to use it is the smartest decision that I have ever taken related to computers.

With that said, every video and every RAR file that runs in my computers, run sandboxed every time they run. I don't care where I got them or what they are, if files like this are going to run in my computers, they will run sandboxed every time they run during the lifetime of this files in my computers. Is all done automatically, don't even have to think about it.

I posted this thread (link below) today about Sandboxie for this forum.

Sandboxie Technologies (SBIE Open source)

Bo

Samuria said:

Select the files right click choose scan with WD or other AV

You can set a system restore point before what Samuria suggests. altho' you should be okay with his or my suggestions

Thanks for the replies everyone!

I feel like I know how to deal with .MP4 files, but could someone please advise me on how to securely open .RAR files as I'm much more concerned with this

EDIT:
I'm much more worried about the .RAR files because I need to download so many individual .RAR files...

NiceAndShy said:

I feel like I know how to deal with .MP4 files, but could someone please advise me on how to securely open .RAR files as I'm much more concerned with this.

Use WinRar.

Extract the files to a new empty folder. Then scan all of the extracted files there with your AV and MBAM free edition (make sure that they are updated.)

That should do it.

I've downloaded more than one video file with a fake .mp4 extension (actually file was executable) in the past.

How Hackers Can Disguise Malicious Programs With Fake File Extensions

Nowadays I preview the video before playing and if no preview is shown then I double check everything.

Check that video preview is shown using various methods including some third party file managers or shell extensions.

If you don't see a preview that is cause for suspicion. Explorer by default doesn't show previews for all video file types.