How to stay safe when downloading programs!

Corrupted · 08-12-2018, 11:59 PM

Constantly updatingthis thread with things on how to stay safe.

Did I miss anything? Reply to this thread to let me know, and I will add it if needed!

1 - Have an anti-virus.

This should be pretty obvious but know that an Anti-Virus will not catch every malicous file. Why's this? There is this program called a crypter, which most people use to remove detections from anti-virus scans. A FUD(fully undetectable) crypter can make a malicious file fully un-detectable meaning it will come up clean on something like Virus Total.

A good Anti-Malware and recommended one isMalwarebytes

Some other good ones include SuperAntiSpyware, ESET, and SpyBot.

2 - Pay attention to the file you've downloaded!

If your Anti-Virus didn't pick anything up, and the file you've downloaded doesn't do anything upon execution or just stops responding, then the chances are it couldhave been malware. Some crypters(Or KL/RAT clients) also have a fake message feature. Example of this:(click me to see)

3 - Use Malwr.com instead of VirusTotal.

Malwr.com goes into much more detail than Virus Total. On Virus Total all you get are the file details and the Anti-Virus detections that can always have false positives. On Malwr.com you get the details of everything the file being analyzed does. If a file grabs your password list malwr will detect it, if a file has anti-VM malwr would likely detect it.

4 - Never save your password to your browser!

This is more of a general tip, but when logging in or registering sometimes your browser will ask to remember your password. Never click remember the password as most browsers like Chrome and Firefox don't encrypt them and can easily be grabbed by a malicious file you may run on your PC.

5 - Use a VM to test files.

If you can spare the PC power then I'd recommend using a VM to test files. If a file gives you an error in a VM, never run it on your PC as that could be an error triggered by an anti-VM inside the file. Here is a popular VM you can use,VirtualBox.

All programs linked:

Malwarebytes:https://www.malwarebytes.com/

Malwr:https://malwr.com/ (Currently offline)

Processhacker: https://processhacker.sourceforge.io/

Process Hacker is a much better version of Task Manager that looks nicer, has more features and provides more details about a process.

If you see a thread with someone trying to spread malware, don't bump it! Instead of bumping it report it to a staff member.

How to stay safe when downloading programs!

Submitted by Corrupted, 08-12-2018, 11:59 PM, Thread ID: 108541