Wad Viruses?

[light the elementa]

Has anyone else gotten a virus from a wad that they downloaded from a server or the MB?

 

[MascaraSnake]

I don't know if it's even possible to pack viruses in a WAD file, but I doubt it. SRB2 probably doesn't even have enough rights on your computer as a program to execute any malicious code through addons. So no, there are no WAD viruses. EXE mods could theoretically have them, but since the source for them must be released, nobody will be stupid enough to try that.

 

[Bbop800]

Well, every single WAD I've downloaded so far (which is a LOT of them) has never given any threat to my computer. So I think it's safe to say that you can't get viruses from them, unless if one is given on a specific site other than the forums.

 

[MascaraSnake]

So I think it's safe to say that you can't get viruses from them, unless if one is given on a specific site other than the forums.

No, not even then. It's not technically possible.

 

[gregory_house]

No, a real virus (malware is the correct word) needs to be executed, and srb2win cannot do that with WAD's. It just loads them in the game.
It is technically possible to place malicious code in a WAD, but then it still would be an inactive file, which cannot infect your PC.
And your AV would catch it immediately and have no problems removing it, as it is inactive.

 

[Invertin]

The only thing I can really think of is a WAD that glitches out or messes up your game, but that would only work if you load it, so you'd have to deliberately be loading the WAD for it to happen more than once.

Even then I'm not sure if WADs can even do that. There is no chance for a WAD to harm your computer.

 

[Ryan]

If a buffer overflow could happen somewhere in the wad loading code, then a wad virus would be possible.

 

[Fawfulfan]

I don't think anyone would go to the trouble, to be honest. WAD files designed for SRB2 are simply not a very common medium in the grand scheme of the internet (since WADs made for SRB2 have a unique lump naming and structuring format from any other Doom-based game, we can only consider our WADs). So even if it was possible, I think it unlikely that anyone would find it worth their time. There would be much simpler ways of creating a virus which would target much larger online demographics.

 

[Cue]

And your AV would catch it immediately and have no problems removing it, as it is inactive.

AVs only pick up viruses they know about, as soon as you start changing things it won't recognise them, same if you make a new virus.

But no, there's no way of packing any sort of malicious code in, as Ryan said a buffer overflow is technically possible, it's not entirely impossible that you could pack something dodgy into a wad, but nobody here has the knowledge of how to do that, other than those who wouldn't do it.

 

[light the elementa]

So will certain virus detecting or security programs mistake .wad files as viruses?

 

[Invertin]

So will certain virus detecting or security programs mistake .wad files as viruses?

If someone made a virus that was contained in wad form and that virus contained in wad form became famous, then yes.

Considering each step of that scenario is incredibly unlikely, no.

 

[steven]

I have 787 wads for 3 versions of SRB2 in total (v2.0.6, v1.09.4, and v1.08) and got no viruses from them. Anyone who would go through the trouble of putting a viruses in a wad (is that even possible?) must be a real dick to do that.