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Originally Posted by Scott
That's the thing with BOINC, it only uses the internet when it has to (which is every 15 hours and only for about a second) and it updates it's self automatically. So far CPDN and the people who make BOINC havn't found any type of flaw that can allow someone to send a virus or allow access to my PC threw it (as there isn't really a point, it's for Distributed Computing and nothing more).
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Actually, as the individual BOINC projects are not sandboxed (IE they have the same level of access to the system as the user that runs them), it's entirely possible that a project could be doing all sorts of nasty stuff, including install viruses.
BTW, the info about BOINC not being sandboxed comes from the BOINC website (
http://boinc.berkeley.edu/security.php).
The code signing scheme they use will go some way to prevent this, but theoretically, that is breakable.Berkley also make the point (on the page above) that by running a BOINC project, you entrust the security of your system to whoever wrote the poject.
Hell, just persuaded myself never to install BOINC.
Even if you are not directly affected, it's entirely possible that a virus could install itself on the laptop then flood your network connection with attempts to infect other people. It's also entirely possible, if you are connected via a Hub (not a router) that a virus could be sitting there scanning your network for passwords, or other useful information, such as Credit Card numbers.
A virus scanner would go some way toward minimising the risk.
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Originally Posted by Scott
Well I'll try Avast! on it later, I know my laptop doesn't like other things running in the back-ground
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OK.. Well done!