AvoidingMalware
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Shareaza is powered by open, free networks. In these networks, users are allowed to share any type of files, and users are able to download those files. In such an environment, you may encounter other users who wish to do harm to you by sharing files that contain viruses. Or, sometimes, a user's computer may be infected with a virus, causing all of their files to be infected as well.
To ensure that you do not get infected by a virus while using Shareaza, follow these useful tips:
- Use Anti-Virus Software. You should arm yourself with anti-virus software. Such software will check files before they open to check if they are infected. With such software, it greatly reduces the possibility of being infected. A list of Anti-Virus software.
- Use Common Sense. If the file is small, and is an *.exe or it is small, it is an *.zip and it contains a setup.exe, then proceed with caution. It could contain a virus. If the file is < 10 KB and is an *.wmv or *.wma it is a not working file. If the file is < 150 KB and is an *.wmv, it is an ads. If the file is not widely shared, or in other words it has a low number of sources, then you should also proceed with caution. Always try to download files that have a lot of sources on the network. Also download files that have a good star rating. One common malware that is being spammed is YSBToolbar. It can be hard to get rid of malware, so be very careful about installing files or running executables downloaded with Shareaza.
- Use Security Filters. They block IP addresses that send fake files. Check for filter updates on the forums or on the Security Filter Wiki page.
- Check for Ghost Ratings. Check to see if the file has a ghost rating. Bad files may have a
symbol in the search results (the same symbol is used for files rated fake, misleading or viral). If the ratings say the file contains a virus, then you should probably not download it. However some users mislabel files.
- Are You Sure It's Shareaza? Sometimes users are confused when they get a virus and immediately blame Shareaza. Make sure you did not acquire a virus from your e-mail or from some website. If you find out you've been infected, download some anti-virus software and do a full system scan immediately. Also disconnect your Internet to prevent further attacks while you scan.
- Disable "Hide extensions for known file types" on Tools -> Folder Options... -> View
- Strange files in library? If you find numerous suspicious files in your library that you never downloaded, that all have about the same file size and that all are named after popular (possibly illegal) downloads, then it might be that you already got infected with a virus. Some viruses (like YSBToolbar) put themselves in Shareaza's library for others to download and get infected as well. Update your virus scanner, scan your entire library and delete all reported files.