Spyware Warrior

[old_spyer]

For you beginners, ReactOS is a free software Windows clone.

Would it be possible for ReactOS to be infected with malware? I wonder if so.

[olliver]

If your mainboard uses SATA controllers, then most likely not, because ReactOs currently can't boot from those . So you'll need some ancient IDE-controllers in order to get past the error screen...

Other than that, there's more than one factor that comes into play during a malware infestation:
- A user is tricked into installing the malware (perhaps dressed up as a video)
- A user chooses to work with full administrator privileges
- A browser component has a bug that triggers an underlying system vulnerability, which allows a privilege escalation
- A box is directly connected to the internet and runs vulnerable services

So whilst no IE related trouble could arise, there's still the possibility it can happen.

O.
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Petcord netlabel :: Synflict post-digital arts :: Leftob audio cast
Each click on any of the links above will save the life of a cute kitty somewhere in the universe.

[MysteryFCM]

I came across a Linux rootkit today, but even without that, can say without a shadow of a doubt - NO operating system is immune from malware infections (It's generally harder to infect a Linux/MAC/Unix system without the user helping do it, but there's a slew of malware out there for all OS's).
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Regards

Steven Burn
I.T. Mate / hpHosts
it-mate.co.uk / hosts-file.net

[olliver]

Most exploited Linux boxes I came across were the result of layer 8 problems or with a bad choice of applications, but not necessarily the system itself[1]. For example, there's not much you can do if some user chooses to run services on his box that have vulnerabilities, are grossly misconfigured or are hopelessly outdated. Or, if it's a server, everything may be updated properly, however this still can fail if insecure scripts are used that, combined with irresponsible configuration settings, allow easy root access with little efforts (several control panels, phpBB and Joomla are particularly popular).

[1] determining what the system consists of is difficult, since "Linux" only is the kernel. The basic set of tools isn't, it can be found on almost any other Unix like flavour. Command options may vary more (Solaris) or less (FreeBSD), but principally it's not too hard to make oneself familiar with different Unix flavours.

O.
_________________
Petcord netlabel :: Synflict post-digital arts :: Leftob audio cast
Each click on any of the links above will save the life of a cute kitty somewhere in the universe.