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Originally Posted by susan_cassidy
Books themselves are not executable.
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Neither are JPEGs, but they have been used to transmit malware. Not all malware transmitted through Office documents have been in the scripting, either. One current one is in embedded fonts, which is also not, per se, executable.
Quote:
Originally Posted by susan_cassidy
You'd be more likely to encounter a problem using a browser on the reader, and having the browser hijacked.
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That, however, is entirely correct.
Quote:
Originally Posted by susan_cassidy
For example, Kindle is based on Linux, so if you installed an executable (Linux-based)
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Cross OS malware has been demonstrated, too, though not, so far as I know yet) seen in the wild.
on it, and managed to execute it, the program could do some sort of damage, but just reading books isn't going to do anything, as far as I can see.
Quote:
Originally Posted by susan_cassidy
Don't know what Sony is based on, but the same principle applies. You aren't executing books.
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Since both major ebook formats are, basically, HTML, and web browers are, at this time, the biggest single vector for malware, that doesn't really comfort me any. The lack of processing power and full time internet connection on most book readers, however, does. Most malware these days is devoted to spamming or identity theft. A book reader is useless for spamming, and can't possibly get identity theft info for more than one person, so such a virus would be over little value. And for malware writers these days, it's all about money.