How to avoid virus spreading through USB

Replies

• 

  Kaustubh Katdare

  Re: how to avoid virus spreading through USB?here is the solution...jus chk it!
  
  Sowmiya - please use proper case for your text. Also refrain from using SMS language in your posts.
• 

  Mayur Pathak

  Is it indeed the right way to stop a virus from spreading? I dont think so.
• 

  Anil Jain

  mayurpathak

  Is it indeed the right way to stop a virus from spreading? I dont think so.

  Agreed..not a right way 😁
• 

  raj87verma88

  Sowmiya

  Dont get panic about viruses...jus try this to avoid viruses through USB..😎
  
  

  1. AFTER YOU PLUG IN THE USB,DONT ALLOW IT TO AUTO PLAY.CLICK THE CANCEL BUTTON.

  2.GO TO MY COMPUTER (DO NOT DOUBLE CLICK ON THE REMOVABLE DRIVE)AND CHECK THE DRIVE ASSIGNED TO THAT USB OR REMOVABLE MEDIUM.FOR INSTANCE,THE DRIVE ASSIGNED IS E(DRIVE E)
  
  3.GO TO START->RUN->TYPE THE DRIVE NAME WITH COLEN":".IN OUR CASE E: IN THE TEXT BOX.CLICK OK.
  
  4.YOU CAN VIEW THE CONTENTS.COPY THE NEEDED FILES.
  
  FEEL SAFE AND ENJOY😁
  THIS WAY YOU CAN AVOID VIRUSES AND WORMS😛

  or start using linux. Thanks for the info, though.
• 

  Ashraf HZ

  Welcome to CE, Somiya 😀 Yeah, thats a common tactic done to avoid those annoying autorun viruses and worms. Unfortunately, some computers will automatically autoplay pendrives by default. It takes some proactive efforts to protect yourself from them.
  
  We have some discussions on how to get rid of viruses here:
  #-Link-Snipped-#
  
  Feel free to contribute your ideas there!
• 

  komputergeek

  Nice idea raj 😁
• 

  myau

  Sowmiya

  Dont get panic about viruses...jus try this to avoid viruses through USB..😎
  
  

  1. AFTER YOU PLUG IN THE USB,DONT ALLOW IT TO AUTO PLAY.CLICK THE CANCEL BUTTON.

  2.GO TO MY COMPUTER (DO NOT DOUBLE CLICK ON THE REMOVABLE DRIVE)AND CHECK THE DRIVE ASSIGNED TO THAT USB OR REMOVABLE MEDIUM.FOR INSTANCE,THE DRIVE ASSIGNED IS E(DRIVE E)
  
  3.GO TO START->RUN->TYPE THE DRIVE NAME WITH COLEN":".IN OUR CASE E: IN THE TEXT BOX.CLICK OK.
  
  4.YOU CAN VIEW THE CONTENTS.COPY THE NEEDED FILES.
  
  FEEL SAFE AND ENJOY😁
  THIS WAY YOU CAN AVOID VIRUSES AND WORMS😛

  is tis really safe? r u sure tos copied files won"t contain viruses? can u plz give ta description as wat happens? i"m curious😕
• 

  aashima

  Even I am skeptical of this method to be the right way because canceling the autoplay can prevent the transfer of virus in rare cases.
• 

  Ashutosh_shukla

  I don't think it is the right way.But I would like to know the right way If the big guys could please contribute to this autorun virus discussion
• 

  heman4t

  Well, here is permanent solution:
  (You may take clue and implement in current system also)
  
  (Lets begin from scratch....)
  
  Preparations :
  0. Format hard-disk:
  C: (Active, Primary, Fat32) // For storing Important data
  D: (Extended, Any no. of partitions) // Any use, You may install Xp here also
  E: (Primary, NTFS) // Install Xp here
  F: (Primary, Any Format) // You can use this for Linux also
  1. Install new XP (In any drive except C:)
  2. Install all drivers
  3. Install basic needs e.g. java, .net framework, flash etc.
  4. Install "AutoPatcher" ( Install "Tweak Xp" and other basic usefull utilities etc)
  // You may install SP3 now
  
  Few Settings
  5. Go to CONTROL PANEL -> TweakUIXP : My Computer>Autoplay : "Uncheck all drives"
  6. Go to My COMPUTER -> TOOLS -> FOLDER OPTIONS -> VIEW
  : click "Show hidden files and folder
  : uncheck "Hide extensions for known file types"
  : uncheck "Hide protected OS files(Recommended)"
  
  // Do not install any antivirus (These are useless things, they just consume RAM)
  
  7. Use hiren's boot CD -> Norton Ghost : make Ghost Image of XP installed partition (Save it in C drive).
  
  Why these steps?
  Ans: Whenever Xp corrupts, Use hiren's Boot CD > Norton's Ghost : "recover partition from Ghost image".
  
  Benefit?
  Ans: It will take hardly 5-10 min to have fresh installed Xp.
  
  Note:
  > Never Keep data in XP drive.
  
  USE
  For VIRUS in USB sticks:
  1. Insert USB stick. (Your autorun is already disabled. So its safe...see step5 in Preparation section)
  2. Open My Computer
  
  --------
  3. click "Folders" button
  On left hand side, drive explorer will open
  4. Goto USB drive
  5. left click once in Left panel
  ---------
  OR
  3. Click address bar drop down arrow
  4. Goto USB drive.
  -----------
  
  OR
  3. goto Start Menu > Run > "USB drive LETTER:" e.g. "F:"
  -----------
  
  Now,
  
  > Select Autorun.inf and some unwanted hidden files & folders (which you didnt copy in USB)
  //You can see them according to step 6 in Preparation section above.
  > Simply DELETE 😀
  
  
  that's all Folks...
• 

  infinus

  Start>>Run
  type gpedit.msc and ok
  
  look for
  Group Policy window>>Administrative Templates>>System
  
  in the right side you will see Turn off Autoplay
  
  Double click>> set to Enabled >>change Turn off Autoplay on to All Drives.
  
  reboot machine if possible..
  
  i hope it helps.
• 

  Ashutosh_shukla

  Hi infimus,
  There is no option of System as you mentioned to find out.So can you please check it once again.
  
• 

  infinus

  best way to avoid windows is to buy genuine windows
  and buy some tough anti-virus software with daily update via internet...
  ------------
  
  this is one of the best way to prevent windows.....
  or
  switch to linux.....
• 

  Ashutosh_shukla

  Everyone knows security of Linux against viruses but i would like to know how to avoid in Windows I have both the OS installed on my machine so if i have any doubt i can use linux else go for windosws
• 

  gohm

  I find the best way to avoid viruses and worms is to:
  
  1. boil water
  2. cook food thouroughly
  3. cover your mouth/nose when you cough or sneeze
  
  😉
• 

  Kaustubh Katdare

  😀 yep, and do not forget to dip your USB drive at least thrice in boiling water.
• 

  Ashutosh_shukla

  Can we discuss something meaningful here please ?????????
  I guess the USB wont be alive after once it is dipped in boiling water,
  but that frees it from all pains of viruses and worms.
  ;-)
• 

  Kaustubh Katdare

  I'm very sorry. Couldn't help after reading gohm's response.
• 

  Aashish Joshi

  I've been using linux for a couple of years now, and I've never had any problems with viruses. But that does not mean that linux systems are immune to viruses. The fact of the matter is windows is more popular and hence programmers/hackers find it more attractive to write viruses for it.
  
  Coming back to the topic, the best way to avoid viruses is to use a good antivirus and a firewall. There are many many antiviruses available out there, some of them are free and some are paid. I've found Avast one of the best among the free ones and Kaspersky, among the paid ones.
  
  Simply installing an antivirus is not enough, some viruses are clever and can slip past antiviruses, so a firewall should also be installed. It is a must if your computer is connected to the internet. Here I've found Zone Alarm to be a good option.
• 

  GazzaS

  Hi Guys,
  
  I contracted two USB viruses in the space of a couple of weeks the first one I had auto run left on so it ran the virus immediately and the second time I had disabled auto-run in policies, but the virus executed when I opened the folder in Explorer! On both these occasions I had the latest Norton AV updates.
  
  Therefore I wrote my own prevention application called VMON. It sits in the background monitoring for drives inserted and then quarantines any auto-runs found. It can also monitor system file changes (i.e. DLL injection) and quarantine the change. Finally it monitors registry and firewall changes and warns and logs all the changes (great to undo any virus changes). This has saved my skin a million times since I wrote it.
  
  You can download it from:
  #-Link-Snipped-#
  
  I'm not advertising this, all I'm saying is that I wrote it to tackle this exact problem and it worked for me.
  
  Linux is a great OS, but this doesn't help the millions of Windows Users 😉
  
  Cheers,
  
  Gary
• 

  aswathyramesh

  Cancelling autoplay and scanning is a good method. But there is a method to avoid autoplay option. I don't know how to do that...
  If any one know, please help me too.
• 

  Ashraf HZ

  aswathyramesh

  Cancelling autoplay and scanning is a good method. But there is a method to avoid autoplay option. I don't know how to do that...
  If any one know, please help me too.

  Download TweakUI from here:
  #-Link-Snipped-#
  
  There is an option to disable autorun for all devices 😀
  
  So, once you've permanently disabled the autorun, always scan the USB drive before opening it an any fashion (explorer, etc).
• 

  Saandeep Sreerambatla

  How it would be if we program like as and when any device is attached to the pc the virus scan should happen.
  😎
• 

  oldboy1985

  what i tried was
  after opening the pendrive in cmd
  type attrib command it will show the attributes of all the files
  generally it is easier to guess which is virus yet
  those with attributes SHR
  are generally virus just delete them with their autorun files
  i have tried it very well and works for me
• 

  oldboy1985

  English-Scared

  How it would be if we program like as and when any device is attached to the pc the virus scan should happen.
  😎

  i think that is generally done by the antivirus
  yet not effective
• 

  worktarget

  Yes , it is true that some computers automatically autorun the usb drive. Here we have one trick that is press shift key before inserting the usb drive and then insert in the usb port.
  
  By pressing shift key at the time of insertion of pen drive, it will disable the autorun feature for some time (i.e. at the time of insertion of pen drive).
  
  

  
  ​
• 

  scurrminator

  disable autorun
• 

  markk

  This is not correct, viruses can still spread this way.
• 

  ashuashi

  The new viruses are spreading too fast. Hence, there is more chance of getting infected. The best way is precaution.
  
  1. Use a good anti virus with regular updates.
  2. Disable auto play of devices.
  3. Avoid accessing unwanted, suspicious websites.
  4. Do not open attachments especially .exe files in your mail which are from unknown source.
• 

  aswathyramesh

  hi....
  An easy way to turn off autoplay :,
  Start --> Run --> gpedit.msc --> Local Computer Policy --> Computer Configuration --> Administrative Templates --> System --> Turn off Autolpay....
  Just do it.....
  
• 

  kirankumartk

  Instead of discussing so much and breaking your heads, u can rather hav a "kaspersky antivirus" which removes any kind of viruses present in the usb when connected.........simple!
• 

  veerapps

  Hi ...
  To prevent virus in your system, you put antivirus for your system and USB port.Make sure that your antivirus update is not out of Date.
  Whenever your are opening any file,Dont forget to scan the file with antivirus(right click file->properties->scan with "company name" antivirus )
  If you dont have updated antivirus,then you open the file by
  start->run->type your pendrive colon name(for example,I😀->Delete the suspected virus files.exe->then open your pendrive.
  -veeraPPS
• 

  ahashmi06

  Panda Security has recently came up with a small portable tool that is able to “vaccine” your computer from virus that spreads through external USB drives. The computer vaccination prevents your computer from executing autorun.inf file and the USB drive vaccination creates a dummy autorun.inf file in your external usb drive so that virus can’t infect it.
  
  #-Link-Snipped-#
  I have been using it for a long time and it works well.
  
  
  As far as antivirus is concerned, i have used a lot of antiviruses and the best is Kaspersky Antivirus (Very high detection rate and low on resources). If you also need firewall, Kaspersky Internet Security is good but it uses a little more resource.
• 

  ahashmi06

  parneet384

  Thanks for provide nice information but i think best way to scan your pc with #-Link-Snipped-#

  
  There are a lot of anti-viruses available today. But only some of them are good enough to actually protect your pc.
  
  There are many fake anti-viruses in the market today. They are called roguewares. They try to make money from the user by making them pay to remove non-existing threats. Many of them even infect your pc with viruses.
  
  Have a look at this #-Link-Snipped-#
• 

  Gurjeet Singh

  i am using a software "autorun eater".it is a very good software and without opening the pen drive it detects the malicious code in the pen drive.it also fix the problems of registry editor ,task manager disabled,folder options..
  hope u can get it from net..if still find a problem to search then message me..
• 

  ONKSSSSS

  there are many ways to stop autoruns...
  1.> Create a folder in your PD named "autorun.inf" (Of course without " ") & keep it there always. Ithink it would help.
  2.> or just use Loading...
  password:angel
  
  There are also some more simple ways which we will discuss in near future.