Um. All media players are large software
applications charged with reading arbitrary
input files and applying a fairly complex interpretation to the bits they read. There are usually a few ways to craft patterns of input bits (in the video) that will exploit coding errors in carelessly written players - typically by fooling them into reading "video" data into a
region of memory that the exploit can then cause to be reread as executable code. It is a hard problem to prove that complex software is secure under all possible input streams. Not impossible, but hard enough that software developers often skip that extra cost. Instead we all support an industry of virus scan companies that clean up after such exploits get published.]]>
A comment on: Can I get a virus or spyware from a free video download?
Tech Questions?
Get Answers! -
Ask Leo! ... by Leo Notenboom
Leo's Answers Newsletter -
Ask Leo! in your inbox every week.
All content Copyright © 2009.