Can a Wireless Mouse Have a Virus?

I recently purchased a wireless mouse online. However, the mouse is not bought with best buy or amazon. Such as imagine buying it from ebay or amazon with 3rd party


Im now wondering... is there a chance a wireless mouse could possibly have virus? Because im wondering if i should order the mouse again on best buy or through amazon if they have it in stock? Or is this something that one should not worry about.

Also on a related question. Let say the mouse you bought was new but it was actually refurbished. Or let say you bought a refurbished mouse. If you did, wouldn't that mean there is a possible chance the mouse could infect your computer etc? Or if the mouse came shipped to you but it came without the box as in original packaging. Would you say its best to not use that mouse for security reasons etc?

 

The hardware itself is almost near impossible to infect with a virus that will affect the system. The drivers are a different story.

 

well if you buy it from legit site like amazon, best buy or staples, then chances are almost 0 right? But if its ebay or 3rd party amazon... then its certainly possibly? I read online about someone buying a phone on ebay and their computer got hacked because their credit cards got maxed out etc.

 

That's because a phone is essentially a small computer.

You're far more likely to get malware on your machine from the illicit materials you profess to love downloading.

 

Cockroaches are more likely to carry a virus than a mouse. But, it could have rabies.

 

"It is far harder to kill a Phantom than a Reality." ~ Virginia Woolf, The Death of the Moth and Other Essays

 

You should be alright. Chances of getting a mouse with a keylogger built in are pretty slim.
Just don't buy a cheap no name brand if you must by from ebay. Stick to something you have heard of before.

 

What's up with posting this question on multiple services?

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/t/669711/can-a-wireless-mouse-have-a-virus/

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-3632172/wireless-mouse-virus.html

https://www.tenforums.com/drivers-hardware/103518-can-wireless-mouse-have-virus.html

https://www.sevenforums.com/hardware-devices/412770-can-wireless-mouse-have-virus.html

 

whew. Either the paranoia is strong with this one, or they are very thorough.

 

My guess is they already know the answer, and want to find out how many others know as well... the answer is Yes, BTW.

Even a wireless mouse has a USB charging and USB functional mode, so don't let the deflection of "wireless" confuse you.

Anything that connects to your PC has the potential to compromise it. Just because you can't imagine how it would be done in brief flight of thought considering the possibilities, doesn't mean it can't happen.

API's, interfaces, protocols are all in their infancy, and have been for 40+ years.

These systems aren't designed to provide secure communications and end to end protection, they are all at the point of barely providing basic functionality. Even if they are designed securely, there are layers before and after the protections that have other paths through.

The protocols and interfaces are designed to work, for basic function, they are still at that level - just getting them to work.

There is a lot of untapped flexibility in all of these systems to provide compromises to those looking to make them.

You can't just assume, and then go on without further thought, you need to keep coming back and considering the protection for all points of access and gain secure functional control.

If you can't nail that down solidly, then you aren't in control. What you don't know will harm you. The intrusion you don't hear has your name on it. The final question will be answered (root cause), if you are monitoring to hear it. Any port in a storm will do, and all will be tried.

Mouse on.

Can my mouse have virus and infect other machines?
"But that doesn't mean that all USB devices are capable of carrying viruses, it just means that if you don't know where the device came from, then it you shouldn't plug it into your computer even if it doesn't look like a device that could transmit a virus. ... So the mouse can't be modified by an infected computer."
https://security.stackexchange.com/...my-mouse-have-virus-and-infect-other-machines

Secure USB port protection:
https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1......0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..0.0.0....0.QpNQgfMOl3Y

 

The theme certainly fits the "sky is falling" drama that seems to be unusually popular in tech world the past few months. Those that are so concerned about their safety need to be cryogenically preserved until the danger passes. On the way to the cryogenic laboratory, be sure not to:

• Drive a car
• Ride a bicycle
• Cross the street
• Run with scissors
• Talk to a stranger
• Access the internet
• Use your cell phone
• Operate a microwave oven
• Drink any fluorinated water
• Inhale while eating corn bread

The rest of us need to upgrade to Windows 10 or we're all gonna die.

This too shall pass.

 

And here's the thing - most of these people who are so paranoid about this stuff don't fully realize that the genie is already out of the bottle. Unless you've been off the grid since birth, your information is already out there. Whether you've opened up a bank account or signed up for a grocery store rewards card, most everything about you is in the hands of the government, Silicon Valley, and/or big data.

 

Also doesn’t help that posting on public forums (like NBR) can also leak information about you.

For instance, we now know what other usernames OP uses on the internet.

 

Oh boy, I'm toast.

 

According to this list I am almost certainly dead. Did not run with scissors or eat any bread lately though, maybe that's what saved me.

 

I think we've beaten this topic to death.

Charles