Summary:
Provide safety against virus infection on the USB key.
Problem case:
As the USB key with applications moves from PC to PC each PC possibly infected by a virus could contaminate the whole USB key and even possibly the next PC in the chain.
The most risky elements are:
1. The autorun
2. The launcher menu
3. Portable applications
4. Other documents
Solution proposal:
When dismounting the USB from the menu, or closing the menu, check the aurotun. When starting the autorun, check the CRC of the files. The trick is to check the CRC with an application that should be safe. A simple security working in most cases could be to let autorun start a batch file doing: "copy crc_app.safe crc_app.exe && crc_app.exe". This way even the crc_app.exe got infected it should restore to original on next run. Another way is to check the CRC of that crc_app (which is possibly the launcher menu itself) when closing/dismounting the menu.
It is important to node that it's only an outline of important security improvements, which are mostly based on CRC at dismount compared to the original CRC-32 value. In case of infection it could at least avoid running anything.
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The StartPortableApps.exe in the root and all the app launchers (FirefoxPortable.exe, etc) already perform a CRC check as they are run. If the CRC is wrong, they will refuse to run and show an error. So, if a given drive were infected by a virus, you'd know as soon as you try to run the first thing.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
Good to know
Tim
Things have got to get better, they can't get worse, or can they?
The two times that I have used my USB portableApps in a public PC it got infected. I think there should be a way to detect the Virus in the host machine memory and if there is prevent from running the main portableApps menu.
I mean the main beauty of this wonderful concept evaporates as soon as you start trying to run an app and the only thing you get is a directory list.
To use it with your work windows laptop no problems normally you have a good antivirus software and will detect that your USB is infected.
Thanks
using ClamWin AV. Here: https://portableapps.com/node/11553
The autorun file should be checked too. And the user should be able to modify it only from the menu. Because viruses are more likely to use this one to spread.
If a program changes it, the menu should:
1) Ask the user if he changed it and protect the new file or to repair it.
Or
2) Repair the autorun and inform the user where to go in the options to change it if he was responsible for the change.
Artificial intelligence stands no chance against natural stupidity!
hey john, it'll b really cool if you all could make a built in virus scanner in the next PA release like building Monday's alpha. make it so that it....like scans the auto runs and other files that viruses are most likely to store themselves on the flash drive. You can do it so that it does a scan during PA launch and probably during use in the background, and a quick scan on exit. but make it so that the user sees nothing or doesn't have to select any options...in other words, its fully in the background. but you could like have a small notification on the PA menu that its running or active, and the user clicks it and sees the options available.....but only if he chooses. hope u understand what i mean; i dont really understand how the PA platform works...and i wont even if u explained it to me, but its just a really wanted, needed suggestion.
Even if you just inserted the drive and didn't open the Menu you could be infected because it just scans the usb drive for exe/dll/whatever else can get infected and puts the virus in them.....
So.... even if there was a scanner built into the menu there is no way to bar it from infected anything unless you disable/delete the virus/trojan/malware/whatever.
And this doesn't just apply to the menu or usb drives. It applies to any programs/exes/dlls/whatever else can get infected. That is what is SOOOOOO annoying about viruses and also one of the main reasons why I am switching over to Mac ^_^
Thanks,
Bensawsome
iLike Macs, iPwn, However you put it... Apple is better ^_^
"Claiming that your operating system is the best in the world because more people use it is like saying McDonalds makes the best food in the world..."
dude, who in the world said itll b scanning only PA, I MEANT THE ENTIRE DRIVE. only an idiot will make it so that it scans only the PA directory. that'll probably b the last place u'll find a virus
He didnt say anything about only scanning the PortableApps directory...
The developer formerly known as ZGitRDun8705
You didn't even get what I was saying... I was saying that the VIRUS could scan any and all drives and infect all infectable files.
iLike Macs, iPwn, However you put it... Apple is better ^_^
"Claiming that your operating system is the best in the world because more people use it is like saying McDonalds makes the best food in the world..."
You must insert your USB, pressing the shift key. In this way, windows does not open the USB and you are able to scan your USB before asking the file explorer to show the USB's content.
This way, I have discovered reincident infections and blocked them. Most are *.ini and *.com files. Issue from a cmd window: "attrib *.*" on USB root and this instruction will show you hidden troyans.
Denis J Navas
First, create a folder named autorun.inf (if you have a file named that, you'll have to delete it and lose the functionality you gained from it, but it's worth it not getting infected. I also don't have it hidden that way I'll know if it every gets changed). If you have a folder named "autorun.inf", viruses cannot create a file named autorun.inf. If you need the autorun feature, John Haller has an app that will autostart your menu when you plug in your drive (this app has to reside on your local machine, but I think it is worth it). I also use one of the mods that has an autostart feature built in that automatically launches whatever programs I want when the menu launches. I had to rename it to "StartPortableApps.exe" for John Haller's app to launch it, but that is no big deal. Now, this is very low security and rather robust malware will work their way around this, but it prevents just about all the everyday things you come across.
If you have some other method that works better, let us know.
I'm Interested.
An Old Irish Blessing
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MickeyJ4J
this is what your looking for. Place it in your start-up folder and after you restart your system, when you plug your PortableApps.com loaded flashdrive, it auto runs the menu or at least thats the concept. I've tried it, it only opens the menu, not any applications.
Here: https://portableapps.com/node/13770