Don't simply say get an antivirus, because false positives are common.

 

False positives will never infect your machine.

 

Don't trust it? Don't install it.

 

The best way is to just install legit software (or less legit you trust), that way the risk goes to zero.
Be also carefull opeing stuff unknown sent you.

 

there was a period i used to get malwares and suspicious files on purpose (of course, had a backup of important stuff).
at one point i got a heavy ransomware and that finally gave me the reason and the push to execute the Big Format to start anew. it really helped and it actually made me stop accumulating files.
for a more serious/helpful answer, i now use TinyWall (there are many similar programs): all connections are blocked by default, and only things i allow can come in or go out. of course, don't download anything that doesn't come from the sister site. and even then, like anonymouse said, if you don't trust it, just avoid it.

 

Don't visit stupid websites.

Don't download stupid things from stupid sites.

Avoid interacting with ALL stupid-ass ads.

Why would you try to claim a prize from a contest you never entered? Don't be stupid.

Don't open stupid emails (You know which ones).

Don't accept stupid messages from goofy, misspelled places.

A beautiful woman has never approached you a day in your un-charming life. Now, pics of three beautiful ladies are suddenly dying to meet you. Don't be stupid.

Good common sense is the best antivirus.

 

In general, just be careful what you click on.

 

I would take an up-to-date malware scanner with heuristics detection, a properly configured firewall, a completely up-to-date OS, and a sandbox to test run software before installing it, over most people's "common sense" any day of the week. People still open spam emails in 2024, so the idea that most people with "common sense" are fast learners sort of goes out the window.

 

This is all true, but they are only "best practices" for anyone in audio with access or knowledge of/to "trusted sites". The other 99.999% of users are not in such a situation. Malware scanners do not damage anything. They eat clock cycles and some RAM. They waste your time looking into every "suspect file". to justify their own existence, even. But they don't actually harm anything. Users saying things are "false positives" just because the application works when they run it, have no clue if something is actually a "false positive". Most malware in 2024 does nothing immediately, because the authors want the target computer to remain online and infected. The Kali tagline "The quieter you are, the more you can hear" perfectly summarizes this point.

Other people saying they have run something and it works is not confirmation of anything. Most Windows users are so annoyed by False Positives, they have disabled lots of security features. But who is telling anyone these things are actually safe? Do they take them apart and actually look at the code? Do they run them thru Autopsy or something? My "guess" is a hard no.

If the question was "as a user of sister site audio software" what should I do about Malware?" all of these tips and tricks are great. If you applied them to the other 99.99% of the world as "best practices", it would be pandemonium. Or at least like it was in about 1998, and the Wild Wild West.

 

Last edited: Jul 7, 2024

foolproof but everybody will ignore it.
to avoid malware, never turn on your computer.....

 

You must first fully understand what a false positive actually is? Because you're scanner will not say "I've detected a false positive, so don't worry you're all good to go!" Your scanner will identify it as a real threat! So how are you going to determine if it's a false possitive? And besides this there are also 'potentially unwanted applications'. How are you going to decide if it's save to run despite what your scanner says? You'll need knowledge and experience to decide whether it's save or not! And even then, there will always be a risk?

The best advice I can give you is that if you're not completely sure, don't run it! Don't risk getting an infection or malware with the installation of this plugin of which you probably already have dozens alike? Look in forums or search the Internet and read about other peoples experience with this download? If still not sure, wait for the next version. Why take the risk for something you don't really need or just want to tryout!

My experience over the years I've downloaded all kinds of stuff is that 999 out of 1000 'audio related' downloads are not infected. Unless you go download them from very shabby or obscure sites. If you stick to the main sites you'll mostly be OK. Audio stuff is not that popular for distributors of malware and viri. Most probably because only a selective group is using this. They'll rather focus on downloaders of Adobe, MS Office and any other software that is highly popular. Also pirated and pre-configured unattended installs of 'slim, slimmer, slimmest' versions of Windows 10/11 are very popular containers for them to use.

If you want to install a slimmer version of Windows 10/11 without the bloatware and MS spying stuff just invest some time into learning how to create your own 'answer' file.

 

Last edited: Aug 29, 2024