customer files usb or disc?

jake the snake

jake the snake

New member
My DAW is an offline machine only. I do what I can to keep viruses away from my baby.

When a customer comes in with files they want in their project I always am nervous about plugging their usb drive into my DAW. Is it less likely for a disc to carry a virus than a usb drive?

What do you guys do?
 
have a mac that's a lot less likely to get a virus ;).

And no, viruses can be on discs or drives. You are taking a chance every time you put something in there. Though honestly it's something that has never even crossed my mind.
 
My DAW is offline too.

I copy/download files to my secure, AV protected laptop....then from the laptop, I burn a disc or transfer to one of my USB Flash drives...then I take that to my DAW.
 
miroslav said:
My DAW is offline too.

I copy/download files to my secure, AV protected laptop....then from the laptop, I burn a disc or transfer to one of my USB Flash drives...then I take that to my DAW.
Click to expand...

This seems ideal.

But wouldnt a disk with only a few files be safer than a usb with god knows what on it?
 
Spend $100-150 for an old machine (even better if you have an old one sitting in the basement you had years ago)
and set it up as a usb, sdcard or cd virus scanning machine.
Clone it (clonezilla.org is free) so you can wipe it if it gets hit.

Let it take the hit.
 
Set up a second machine, desktop or laptop, have this machine loaded with a good anti virus software. Plug the usb drive into that computer first and scan the usb drive with the anti virus software. The second machine does not have to be top notch, an old computer that you don't use anymore will do.

Oh macs do in fact get viruses, what happens is that nothing happens to the mac but the virus is passed on when the file is then forwarded to a PC, this can be very embarrassing when a client, friend or another studio informs you that you have just sent them a virus.

Alan
 
You can't get viruses from media files. The only risk is from an executable file being initiated, either by double clicking one or it being called by Autorun. In Windows 7, a dialog usually appears confirming what you want to happen when a disc/USB is presented - if you select to open folder and view files, nothing bad can happen. The OS won't just start running any code present on the disc. As suggested above, though, check your Autorun settings.

If malicious code were somehow embedded in sound files, there wouldn't be any danger, as to be harmful, the code has to be executed as code. When you open a media file, it is passed as data to another program, which will attempt to interpret it as such - you would just get an error saying the file is corrupt, or if you're lucky, a sound like a Spectrum loading (that sound being an audio representation of machine code).
 
jonny deep said:
You can't get viruses from media files. The only risk is from an executable file being initiated, either by double clicking one or it being called by Autorun. In Windows 7, a dialog usually appears confirming what you want to happen when a disc/USB is presented - if you select to open folder and view files, nothing bad can happen. The OS won't just start running any code present on the disc. As suggested above, though, check your Autorun settings.

If malicious code were somehow embedded in sound files, there wouldn't be any danger, as to be harmful, the code has to be executed as code. When you open a media file, it is passed as data to another program, which will attempt to interpret it as such - you would just get an error saying the file is corrupt, or if you're lucky, a sound like a Spectrum loading (that sound being an audio representation of machine code).
Click to expand...

Exactly. Some of these suggestions are insane. Just disable autorun, and.... malicious code won't automatically run (imagine that). The mere act of the OS reading the filesystem's contents will not trigger a virus executing. You have to execute it yourself.
 
I find such paranoia amusing. I thought this was going to be a thread about which you prefer to give files to your customers. In which case, I'd say CD, unless they have their own USB they want it on. Be pretty expensive handing USB sticks around to everyone. =P
 
somegeezer said:
I find such paranoia amusing.
Click to expand...
If you happen to know about these things, you can say that.
If, however, you don't, then the paranoia is justified until someone who knows comes and explains what's really going on, without being amused at a paranoia that those of us that are currently ignorant may be unwittingly experiencing.
Selah !
 
jake the snake said:
This seems ideal.

But wouldnt a disk with only a few files be safer than a usb with god knows what on it?
Click to expand...

:confused: The same type of files that can be on a USB can be on a disc. Like somebody else said, just disable Autoplay or simply ask your clients that they bring files on a disc if you're that paranoid about it.
 
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