Systemic Malware Issues

Quick backstory: I've been building up a collection of software (programs, dependencies, codecs, etc.) to have saved in an offline backup just in case I don't have access to something online or it is removed from the web. Some of that collection I have built up using MajorGeeks; the K-Lite Codec Pack for instance. But today I decided to be a bit more judicious and use VirusTotal on everything I was downloading from here as some of the programs were old & obscure or deprecated. Half of them came back with alerts to Snakelogger or malware. This includes SmartImage 4.0.8 which is under the Misc. Utilities section along with many of the portable games in the Games section. Now perhaps these are false positives but MajorGeeks says in their public statement that they use VirusTotal specifically as a sanity check on programs. So are they seeing these alerts and investigating further on some obscure game in their back catalogue? I doubt it. I no longer trust this site for anything and see it as actively malicious. Buyer beware. Maybe someone can correct me on this in the comments. I'm open to it.

 

MG has the best files as far as I can tell.

Start with their downloads, but their files are often attacked on download if your system has been compromised.

 

You can just check for yourself instead of fabricate an insane story about virus' infecting the downloaded file and then VT flagging the download. I told you which file was flagged.

 

If you were to go looking around within the MajorGeeks downloads, you will see an occasional note along the lines of "this file gets hits on VirusTotal" or "your antivirus may pitch a snit", so maybe they missed putting that notice on a few write-ups. They are (hopefully) only human.

And, just for craps and giggles, how many of the scanners tripped on that specific file, and which ones? Not all scanners are created equal, and some are more error-prone than others.

 

What do you mean "maybe they missed it"? I said VT flagged around half of the files i checked. If you cared to know the answer to any of those questions you would just check the file I mentioned and scan it yourself. You're just bored and want to talk. No time for this. There is a major problem on this site and none of you care.

 

Smartimage is currently flagged by 3/72 vendors. The few vendors I have any faith in don't flag it.

I'd say that they're false positives, anything actually malicious would be detected specifically by an awful lot more vendors.

Those vendors change over time, as do their classifications, detection rates and accuracy % levels. None are perfect though the better ones are very good. Some of the lesser known vendors may not review their detection accuracy as frequently as they might - but it all costs money.

There are times when a clean and useful component file is used as part of a malicious attack package, then the innocent file can become deliberately falsely flagged by vendors, though MS-owned files by Sysinternals usually become delisted, files by others, eg Nirsoft, rarely do.

Report the FP on the forum for Smartimage and see what they say?

I'm saying it's almost certainly clean.

 

I don't care what you have faith in. This isn't about you. I don't care that you think they are false positives. This isn't about the veracity of the scan. If you read the title it says "systemic issue" because I found multiple files flagged by VirusTotal which MajorGeeks claims to SPECIFICALLY USE to check before posting. Are you able to read words?

 

Virustotal doesn't claim to be what your interpretation of their site is. It's a guide, rather like a pedestrian crossing. Yes, a sanity check would say that's the safest place to risk crossing a road.

Some of the better vendors there have discovered and written up guides on detecting malware eg. Fortinet and Snakelogger. Did Fortinet flag anything? Not when I had VT rescan Smartimage it didn't, nor for your scan a day or so earlier.

I'll install ESET as a second chance scanner, as my default MS Windows security never flagged Smartimage - have you run any real scans on your system yet? If not, why not, considering you're claiming some kind of exposure to malware?

 

You, as well, cannot read. MajorGeeks using Virus Total. THEY say they use it to flag programs with issues. I've found 5 or so programs that VirusTotal flags. This has nothing to do with my system. You are a retard.

 

Steady on old chap.

https://www.majorgeeks.com/content/...ed_as_malware_and_how_to_safely_use_them.html

goodbye.

 

This is about end users having programs flagged by their random malware scanners. The subject is MajorGeeks using VirusTotal to vet their programs. And my discovery that they are lying about using VirusTotal or perhaps any scanner. please learn to read.

 

I've been reading a very long time, sometimes I make mistakes (autopilot/guessing usually) just like the VT vendors do.

Reading and comprehension aren't always good bedfellows, especially when one is angry or honestly mistaken.

Read the above linked topic, it might help you understand a little better.

 

There are occasional major problems on this site, as you say, but, if we wait long enough, they generally go away and take their foolishness with them.

You fail to understand what VirusTotal is and what it does.

I did try to scan the specific file you mentioned, but I got a "scan queued, please scan again later" and, as I've been busy, I have not had an opportunity to check again. I still haven't, and will not bother now.

@satrow points out that three out of seventy-two of the VT scanners tripped on your file. I asked which ones, and you failed to respond other than with an accusation that I'm bored and want to talk.

Please, if you are not willing to actually learn about the things you are so willing to spout off about, just go away and take your empty accusations with you.

 

It's not "my scanner". It's Virus Total. Which MajorGeeks claims to use to vet files. Learn to read.

 

That works both ways. As you've shown no indication of having read the article I linked to earlier, I'll post the content below. A teaser first:

Please do yourself the courtesy of reading the full content, it's for your own good, not mine:

 

I never called it "your" scanner so, as @satrow suggests, perhaps it's you who needs to learn how to read.

I am done with this thread. You are simply a complainer who wants to whine and cry about something, anything. Goodbye.