Can Photos contain viruses??

  • Thread starter Thread starter Heather
  • Start date Start date
H

Heather

Hi All.....

Just got the following query from a British genealogist friend who has set
up a website. I am not up on photo viruses.......and I realize that people
can change the extension, of course......but what are your thoughts??

quote........
Do you know what virus risks are involved in people sending images to my
Genealogy Forum? I'm allowing people to post .bmp., .gif and .jpg. These
aren't executables, but ... Any thoughts?
unquote.....

Thanks.....Heather
 
Contain a virus ?

There was one sample infector created and submitted to AV vendors but it needs a helper
application to be installed on the platform prior to the reception of a JPEG that has the
code.
W32/Perrun -- http://vil.nai.com/vil/content/v_99522.htm

There are graphic file exploits. One is for the MS GDI+ vulnerability. There is also a new
one that exploits a buffer overflow in PNG files.
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS04-028.mspx

Exploit-PNGfile -- http://vil.nai.com/vil/content/v_131745.htm

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms05-009.mspx



--
Dave




| Hi All.....
|
| Just got the following query from a British genealogist friend who has set
| up a website. I am not up on photo viruses.......and I realize that people
| can change the extension, of course......but what are your thoughts??
|
| quote........
| Do you know what virus risks are involved in people sending images to my
| Genealogy Forum? I'm allowing people to post .bmp., .gif and .jpg. These
| aren't executables, but ... Any thoughts?
| unquote.....
|
| Thanks.....Heather
|
|
|
|
 
Hi All.....

Just got the following query from a British genealogist friend who has set
up a website. I am not up on photo viruses.......and I realize that people
can change the extension, of course......but what are your thoughts??

quote........
Do you know what virus risks are involved in people sending images to my
Genealogy Forum? I'm allowing people to post .bmp., .gif and .jpg. These
aren't executables, but ... Any thoughts?
unquote.....

Thanks.....Heather
Click to expand...

The image formats themselves are not viral but they can if specially
crafted contain an exploit which could cause a security breach on your
system(http://sarc.com/avcenter/security/Content/11173.html). As long
as you keep windows up to date with the latest patches you are safe.
Many antivirus companies create a heuristic algorithm to detect such
exploits but in a lot of cases this is useless as by default antivirus
does not scan such file extensions. I sincerely doubt that your forum
poses a threat to you or your visitors if they keep windows updated
and dont double click everything that arrives in their inbox.

Regards,
Ian Kenefick
http://www.ik-cs.com
 
Thanks, Dave and Ian........I have forwarded your answers on to Chris and if
he has any more questions, I will relay them back.

Cheers.....Heather
 
Heather wrote:

[Aside:]
.. I'm allowing people to post .bmp., .gif and .jpg.
Click to expand...

Since .bmp's are such huge files, is that a wise choice? Wouldn't it
be better to drop .bmp and add .png? ;-)
 
Beauregard T. Shagnasty said:
Heather wrote:

[Aside:]
.. I'm allowing people to post .bmp., .gif and .jpg.
Click to expand...

Since .bmp's are such huge files, is that a wise choice? Wouldn't it
be better to drop .bmp and add .png? ;-)
Click to expand...

I dunno, pussycat. Perhaps he is converting them into something smaller. I
shall ask him. OTOH, he is a software developer, so I guess he knows a tad
more than I do, grin. But viruses are not his forté.

Cheers....Heather
 
Heather said:
Heather wrote:

[Aside:]
.. I'm allowing people to post .bmp., .gif and .jpg.
Click to expand...

Since .bmp's are such huge files, is that a wise choice? Wouldn't
it be better to drop .bmp and add .png? ;-)
Click to expand...

I dunno, pussycat. Perhaps he is converting them into something
smaller. I shall ask him. OTOH, he is a software developer, so I
guess he knows a tad more than I do, grin. But viruses are not his
forté.
Click to expand...

Okay, s'long as he knows, that's good. Many do not, so I thought I
might mention it. Every once in a while a wahoo acquaintance will
email me a huge bitmap that ends up being about two inches square. <g>
 
Beauregard T. Shagnasty said:
Heather said:
Heather wrote:

[Aside:]
.. I'm allowing people to post .bmp., .gif and .jpg.

Since .bmp's are such huge files, is that a wise choice? Wouldn't
it be better to drop .bmp and add .png? ;-)
Click to expand...

I dunno, pussycat. Perhaps he is converting them into something
smaller. I shall ask him. OTOH, he is a software developer, so I
guess he knows a tad more than I do, grin. But viruses are not his
forté.
Click to expand...

Okay, s'long as he knows, that's good. Many do not, so I thought I
might mention it. Every once in a while a wahoo acquaintance will
email me a huge bitmap that ends up being about two inches square. <g>
Click to expand...
ROFL!! At your tag line. I see you are old enough to remember Tom Jones in
his heyday!! Never did go to see him.....Julio is more my style (sigh,
drool) Then there is Shaggy......nah, not your kind of music.

I have a two cousins that I am going to murder if they don't stop sending me
4 meg *jokes* that bore me silly (and say, send this to 20 of your best
friends)......grin

Ms. Figgs
 
Heather said:
ROFL!! At your tag line. I see you are old enough to remember Tom
Jones in his heyday!! Never did go to see him.....Julio is more
my style (sigh, drool)
Click to expand...

Tom Jones is only juuuussst ... *slightly* ... older than me.

It was a great movie.
http://imdb.com/title/tt0059903/fullcredits
Scroll way down for Mr. Jones' credit.
Then there is Shaggy......nah, not your kind of music.
Click to expand...

...mostly jazz and blues...
 
<lol> I see it's now James Bond <g>
Joan

Beauregard T. Shagnasty wrote:
-Dr. Fritz Fassbender
-This space intentionally left chasing Ursula Undress.
 
Didn't he sing that song that goes "It's not unusual to get infected by anyone..." ;-)

--
Dave




|
| | > Heather wrote:
| > > message | > >
| > >> Heather wrote:
| > >>
| > >> [Aside:]
| > >>> .. I'm allowing people to post .bmp., .gif and .jpg.
| > >>
| > >> Since .bmp's are such huge files, is that a wise choice? Wouldn't
| > >> it be better to drop .bmp and add .png? ;-)
| > >
| > > I dunno, pussycat. Perhaps he is converting them into something
| > > smaller. I shall ask him. OTOH, he is a software developer, so I
| > > guess he knows a tad more than I do, grin. But viruses are not his
| > > forté.
| >
| > Okay, s'long as he knows, that's good. Many do not, so I thought I
| > might mention it. Every once in a while a wahoo acquaintance will
| > email me a huge bitmap that ends up being about two inches square. <g>
| >
| ROFL!! At your tag line. I see you are old enough to remember Tom Jones in
| his heyday!! Never did go to see him.....Julio is more my style (sigh,
| drool) Then there is Shaggy......nah, not your kind of music.
|
| I have a two cousins that I am going to murder if they don't stop sending me
| 4 meg *jokes* that bore me silly (and say, send this to 20 of your best
| friends)......grin
|
| Ms. Figgs
| > --
| > -bts
| > -What's new, pussycat ... ooohwo oohwo ooowo wo...
|
|
 
Joan said:
<lol> I see it's now James Bond <g>
Joan

Beauregard T. Shagnasty wrote:
-Dr. Fritz Fassbender
-This space intentionally left chasing Ursula Undress.
Click to expand...

Heh, Dr. Fritz was the Peter Sellers character in "What's New,
Pussycat". Ursula was in that, and "Dr. No" with Bond, James Bond.
 
David H. Lipman said:
Didn't he sing that song that goes "It's not unusual to get infected
by anyone..." ;-)
Click to expand...

Doctor: "You appear to have the Tom Jones virus"
Patient: "Is that common?"
Doctor: "It's not unusual".
 
;-)

--
Dave




| "David H. Lipman" wrote:
|
| > Didn't he sing that song that goes "It's not unusual to get infected
| > by anyone..." ;-)
|
| Doctor: "You appear to have the Tom Jones virus"
| Patient: "Is that common?"
| Doctor: "It's not unusual".
|
|
 
Yeah I know Figgs ;-)

The devil made me do it.

--
Dave




| HUGE Groan!! That was just awful, David......LOL!!
 
Beauregard T. Shagnasty said:
Tom Jones is only juuuussst ... *slightly* ... older than me.
Click to expand...

Ahem!! I shall have to find his bio to figure that one out. Aha....found
it. Good grief, Charlie Brown.....you are my age!! L'homme ancienne!!
..mostly jazz and blues...
Click to expand...

Mostly 50's, Elvis, Julio, Ruth Brown (obscure), etc.....basically all but
classical.

What was the name of that Peter Sellers movie again?? Where he played an
East Indian and was at a party where there was a swimming pool. Must hit
Block Buster for that one.

Cheers....Heather
Listening to *At Last* by Etta James.
 
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