I understand that sharing video, photos, documents etc. is relatively safe because the data is not executed in the processor as instructions. How come people are willing to download and install pirated software though? How can one be confident that it does not contain malicious addons? Are people just don’t know the risks? Or are there protection mechanisms that I am missing? I mean since the software is usually cracked there is not much use in comparing checksums with the originals, is it?

  • Gothian@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    26
    ·
    1 year ago

    Your assumption is wrong mail can contain executables. Picture can hold executable instructions and so do videos. For example videos and pictures in mail can contain virus. You are not safe just because you download movies and pictures

    • whoareu@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      8
      ·
      1 year ago

      Can you explain how can a picture holds a executable in it? Also you have to make the file executable to run it. Something like chmod +x random.mp4

        • alexg_k@discuss.tchncs.deOP
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          12
          ·
          1 year ago

          I think it is very rare to find or even craft a video file that is able to allow for arbitrary code execution on an updated video player software like VLC. The same is true for photos or documents with the exception of office documents using macros.

          • Dr. Jenkem@lemmy.blugatch.tube
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            4
            ·
            1 year ago

            “Updated” is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. Lots of people don’t keep their software up to date.

            But yeah, the likelihood of any of us randomly happening upon 0days in the wild is pretty low.

          • Gothian@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            1 year ago

            Not at all. I work with development of various kinds and have my desk close to our senior it security specialist he says that we get daily that kind of stuff in our emails so I don’t see why they should exist less on pirated torrents

            • voxel@sopuli.xyz
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              2
              ·
              edit-2
              1 year ago

              maybe you mean like exe files disguised as pngs?
              actual malicious image files are extremely uncommon (and target specific image viewers of outdated versions, like imagine an archaic os like windows 7 or xp); libpng/libjpg that are used in most popular image viewers are open source and do not currently have any significant (discovered/publicly known) vulnerabilities

      • Ragerist@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        edit-2
        1 year ago

        One of the techniques is called buffer overflow. Where you target a flaw in some software. Computers are logic, they will do EXACTLY what you tell them. Imagine if an image viewer uses an dll to process jpg. That dll expects a very specific header. If this is not handled correctly and a malicious attacker crafts the header to be slightly larger and the larger part contains executable code. This code spills over in the adjacent memory area. The OS then reads this as code to run… and boom you are in.

        This is oversimplified and proberly not explained correctly, but its something like that; and that kids, is why its important to update your OS and software.

        Sometimes they find bugs like this, that have existed for many years before being discovered.