Networking [Map Drives?]

1. If there are NO shares on networked computers, meaning that if file & print sharing is NOT enabled, then there is little to no risk of viruses making their way across the network, the only risk being user ignorance or specific viruses made to spread via networks.

2. Mapping a drive has nothing to do with how or why shares are accessed, a mapped drive is nothing more than a shortcut essentially, that shows up like your C drive in My Computer.

3. Viruses that travel across network shares are specifically written to do so, so if one was infected with the Chernobyl virus it could not end up on another computer on the local network unless one manually put it there.

4. The protocol used for file & print sharing also has a part in this. TCP/IP is routable and can be used by such network-spreading viruses whereas Netbeui is not routable and cannot be used by these specific viruses.

5. These specific network-spreading viruses usually are packaged with their OWN network engine that it uses to spread itself across a network OR it takes advantage of existing security vulnerabilities in the ioperating system, using the operating system's network engines.

 

Are you telling me that if I have machines A & B and I have software and stuff on A that is set to be SHARED and used by machine B that Viruses Trojans etc. can not travel back and forth ?

Think about it. How can a virus travel to the other computer unless the virus is a SPECIFIC type of virus designed to travel across networks? There are certain viruses made to transverse networks, but not all viruses can do that. The virus, to do that, requires it's own networking code.

If you have a drive on A MAPPED on B isn't it darn near the same as having it right on B ? Doesn't it become somewhat part of the system of B ?

No. A mapped drive is just Windows storing the path to it in a cache and putting an icon in My Computer. It is NOT a part of C:\, it's just a "marker" to the other computer much the same as is in Network Places, but for only convenience the icon is in My Computer.

You can map a drive letter to any shared resource on a network. When you do so, you can quickly and easily access the resource by using either the Windows XP user interface or a command prompt. For each mapped drive, an icon appears in My Computer and a listing appears in the left pane of Windows Explorer.

And by mapping a drive on one machine I would assume it would be used by both.
Yes. Let's say your wife's comp has a folder that's shared. It shows up in YOUR My Network Places. You can "map" this share and it now shows up in YOUR My Computer for convenience. No changes are made to HER drive or HER shared folder.

I have to assume that a drive on A that is Mapped to B can be seen in places such as My Computer on B. Therefore I also have to assume that any thing could write to it. Therefore any thing could be transfered via it to the other machine.
Yes, anything can be transferred manually, but NOT any application on it's own can transfer to it. The application must contain code that enables it to transfer on a network AND the network shares must be UNSECURED. (sharing w/ full permissions/no passwords) Permissions should always be configured instead of using the default settings.

Most viruses, even though they replicate themselves, do NOT contain such code. Viruses replicate by:
1. infecting other files on the system it resides on.
2. mass email, sending copies of itself in messages.
3. sending copies of itself across networks via UNSECURED network shares.

AFAIK, there has never been a virus that does All of the above.

What is Drive Mapping?
http://www.windowsitpro.com/Windows/Article/ArticleID/38952/38952.html

 

OK lets says I have MS Office on D: drive on A.
I set the drive to be shared with B.
Someone on B runs Office from my machine. Or even uses the shared drive for backups. Or to store and retrieve data.
A Virus comes in targeting MS Office and/or its' files.
Now are you telling me that that Virus COULD NOT be transfered to A ?

A virus COULD be transferred IF someone using comp B initiates the transfer by (1) opening a file stored on comp A, (2) by copying a file from A to B. But the copied file will do no harm until it is opened. Remember, this transfer is INITIATED BY THE USER, the transfer does NOT occur on its own and is NOT initiated by the virus. Also, the anti-virus program on comp B, if auto-protect is enabled, will possibly catch the virus infected file, either during the transfer itself, sometime later, or when the comp B user tries to open the file.

Also, not all programs installed on comp A can be run by users of comp B, unless comp A is a network server and the program itself is coded to allow network use.

BTW. How do we get Viruses on a machine in the first place. Are they are not transfered via a connection that we are SHARING on the Internet.

We get viruses by:
1. email attachments.
2. malicious web pages.
3. files we download, such as a program that we THINK is what we want but it turns out to be something else.
4. removable media that contain infected files.

You can get a virus in many ways, but it cannot possibly infect your computer until the virus infected file is executed (file opened). If one tried to download a file via a webpage link, and the download dialog gives the choice of "RUN" or "Save To Disk ", and you choose "RUN ", then as soon as the download completes the file will be executed. Thus always best to save to disk and virus scan before opening it. (to "open" means to "execute ".

Realize this:

There is a DIFFERENCE between "a file that is infected by a virus which is then transferred from one comp to another" and "a virus that has already been executed and on it's own attempts to or spreads from one comp to another ". Not all viruses can spread across a network all on its own.

There is NO danger from a file that is infected with a virus UNTIL the file is opened. The only danger is if the user does not know that the file is infected and tries to open it.

I NEVER have an antivirus program running. If I have doubts about a file, I rt click and scan it. I manually scan all email attachments prior to opening them. I scan all removable media received from others before opening files on them.

I said it before and I'll say it again, you CANNOT become infected, meaning a viruse has been executed and is causing damage, UNLESS YOU open (execute) the virus containing file.

There are 2 uses of the word "infected" when we talk about this:
1. a file CONTAINS a virus or malicious code.
2. a computer has a running application/process that is busy doing its dirtywork.

Antivirus programs tend to confuse this for users. They will often display an alert such as "your comp is infected with the xyz virus, what do you want to do about it?" That alert does NOT always mean that xyz virus is busy at work causing damage, it usually means that the antivirus program has detected a file that CONTAINS the xyz virus.

If your MSOffice on comp A has a file that contains a virus, then that virus cannot possible malke its way to comp B until the comp B user copies, moves, or opens that file.

A file that contains a virus CANNOT do any damage all on it's own. It's ONLY a file that contains code waiting to be executed by somebody. Viruses are not alive!

To better understand this, one should understand what a living organism virus is. Comp viruses were given that name because they are similar to real viruses, such as the flu or aids. A virus that infects a living organism is not alive, it's simple a chemical compound that is absorbed by living cells, and once absorbed, the virus alters the chemical make up of that cell and changes its functions.

For instance, a cell may have the "duty" of carrying oxygen in the blood. A virus could infect that cell and change its duty from "carrying oxygen" to "destroying cells that carry sugar ". The virus changes the cell's genetic code.

Not all viruses inside a living organism do harm to it. Some viruses can remain attached to cells for long periods of time, waiting for the organism's resistance to drop, such as caused by lack of sleep, stress, nutritional deficiency, etc., at which time it could cause harm, but usually an organism is successful at fighting virus chemicals and getting rid of them via the front or rear waste pipes. Some viruses are more difficult for an organism to handle. Some are not.

At any given time, there are millions, if not trillions of viruses, bacteria, and parasites in a living organism's body. They will cause no harm UNTIL the organism is stressed (weakened) somehow.

A comp virus is similar. They can exist inside of (attaching its code to) a file and will do no harm at all. Until the comp user is "stressed" and makes the mistake of opening the file.

 

http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/v/virus.html

LOAD

(1) To install. For example, to load a disk means to mount it in a disk drive.
(2) To copy a program from a storage device into memory. Every program must be loaded into memory before it can be executed. Usually the loading process is performed invisibly by a part of the operating system called the loader. You simply enter the name of the program you want to run, and the operating system loads it and executes it for you. (today you click a graphical image to run a file)


VIRUS

A program or piece of code that is loaded onto your computer without your knowledge and runs against your wishes. Viruses can also replicate themselves. All computer viruses are manmade. A simple virus that can make a copy of itself over and over again is relatively easy to produce. Even such a simple virus is dangerous because it will quickly use all available memory and bring the system to a halt. An even more dangerous type of virus is one capable of transmitting itself across networks and bypassing security systems.

 

If I have Office on both A & B. A has a shared drive ( folder ). I work with Office on B and then transfer some files to A. I open/use those files on A.
Now IF those files are infected the Virus WILL BE on A will it not ?

Yes!

To me ( I could be wrong ) transfering files from one machine to the other is just like ( or similiar to ) downloading the same file to both machines from the Internet.

Correct!

If I had downloaded that EXECUTABLE to A and ran it on both, ( from a shared/mapped drive. ( if that will work cause I never tried that )) I believe both machnies would have had the unwanted problem.

Yes, but running it from the mapped drive will only affect the computer that downloaded the file, the other computer is safe UNTIL someone on B navigates to the share folder and runs the file. By the fact that the download was run from the mapped drive does not mean that both A & B get infected at the same time. Remember, even though that mapped drive (directory) exists on B, it's operating system A that executes the file, thus A gets infected, not B.

Now, if I just downloaded it to A then Tranfered it to B via sharing, it would be ( to me ) the SAME THING.
If I had burned that file to a CD and carried it to B. I think it would be the same thing.

Yes, the same thing basically.

So. My botton line is still, If conditions are right Viruses and other malicious files can be tranferred from one machine to the other via SHARING.

CorrectOmundo! But by the user.

 

Yes, 2 steps basically.

If have XP, and if disable Simple File Sharing, and File & Print Sharing is installed, then you must set the drives or directories to be shared. Rt click My Network Places > then Properties > then Local Area Connection > then Properties and can add or remove File & Print Sharing. Then set sharing for the drive or dir that you want.

the UN-AWARE user...EXACTLY!

Is there another way of setting up sharing that I am not aware of ?

Possibly...you can set up sharing as above, and can then also set Permissions for the Share. If have XPPro, you must set a drive or dir to be shared and must then also set Permissions for the Share by adding a user account via rt click My Comp/Manage/Users >rt click rt frame and add a user. Then set the permissions for that user IN THE SHARE.

Let's say wife's logon name on comp B is WIFEY and her password is love_my_husband. Now, on your comp you use Comp Mgmt to add WIFEY as a user. Next, enable a dir to be shared on your comp via rt click Sharing Tab. Then click Permissions button and remove the Everyone user. Then click the Add button and add WIFEY in bottom pane. (WIFEY = and Object type) Now, when WIFEY is on her comp, she will see that shared dir on your comp via My Network Places. And SHE can map that share as a drive which will show up in HER My Computer. And vice versa for shares on her comp.

I am fairly certain that XPPro has some security and sharing features that are not available in XP Home.