Can my Wii get a Virus?

Can my Wii get a Virus or Spyware?

 

i would assume your asking this because you have it setup with wireless..

assuming it gets an IP address off your router, i would then assume it is just like any other device on a network...

i would assume yes.

*lots of assumptions though*

 

I have a DSL connection. It runs through a wireless router and the Wii connects to the wireless router.

 

my initial assumption is no. (which is in no way grounded in fact) ill definately follow this thread... i would like to know myself

 

In theory, yes. As pbcustom98 said, if it is on wireless, it has an ip, and is basically on the internet, which means it can receive data (and viruses) from outside.

Still, that only works if someone writes a virus that works on the Wii, with the Wii's OS and the Wii's CPU architecture and hardware setup, and exploits some security hole on the Wii. And then it has to get past your router somehow, which means it has to be spread through a site your Wii connects to.

So in practice, no, I haven't heard of any Wii viruses, and they're not likely to appear. But I suppose it is possible in theory.

Computer viruses are, much like their organic counterparts, very specialized and only works on very specific hosts. You can't write a virus for a Windows system and then apply it to, say, a Wii. Or a Linux box, or a Sega Genesis, for that matter. Or an alien mothership. (Yeah, Independence Day was all made up. Shocking, innit? )

 

Well, the first thing would be for someone to actually write a virus or spyware that would infect it - I don't know much about the Wii's OS, but most likely it is pretty locked down like other consoles, which would make it very hard to get ANY unauthorized software running on it without some sort of hacks, etc.

I wouldn't worry about it, frankly.

 

It is possible. Anything with software on it can get a virus. But since you need to 'hack' the wii to run home made software on it i would think it is pretty virus proof. A virus would be home made so it would need to first get onto the wii somehow, then make the wii work with homebrew software and lastly mess with the system. Not much chance expecialy since most console hacks that enable homemade software need some hardware interaction.

 

If someone writes a wii virus that starts goin around, I'm sure you'd have heard of it.

 

Closed OS (no homebew) + Specialized hardware= no virus.

I was gonna say something else, but I forgot.

 

The processor for Wii is PowerPC based.And the only good thing about PowerPC CPU's is they decrease the risk of viruses very greatly (a good example is Apple before it switched to Intel)..So I think the answer is no unless a no-brainer hardware/firmware issue pops up.Also if there are some viruses all they can do is stealing/damaging data.No hardware damage will be ever inflicted.

 

Huh?

What do you mean the POwerPC decreases the risk of viruses greatly? And how is Apple before the switch to Intel a great example? Viruses are written for the OS, not the processor (which is why Apple is probably a good example of why this makes no sense; it's not like a bunch of Mac OS X viruses started popping up).

There's nothing specific about the PowerPC itself that makes a platform based on it more or less prone to viruses. The only thing that might be even somewhat close to what you've said here is that virus programmers who have specific experience with x86 code might have some more trouble with the PowerPC, but that would only be for specific types of viruses anyway.

Also, "the only good thing about PowerPC CPU's is they decrease the risk of viruses"? That is kind of ridiculous. The PowerPC architecture is actually quite powerful, which is why Microsoft also uses a PowerPC-based CPU, and the Cell processor is also related to the PowerPC.

-Zadillo

 

A risk with x86 architecture is that the return address is passed on the stack. PowerPC has a special Link Register to store the return address, which is only pushed on the stack if the procedure calls another procedure, which makes buffer-overflow attacks easier on x86.

 

Ahh, I see. Sorry for my previous post then.

Although I'll still say that I don't think it's fair to say the ONLY benefit of PowerPC is that the risk of viruses is less.

 

There are plenty of good things about PowerPC's. The architecture is much much nicer than x86'es that are used in PC's. The difference doesn't matter so much any more, but making a fast PPC CPU is way simpler than trying to squeeze performance out of a x86. It's a proper RISC instruction set, it has fixed-length instructions (which is very nice), and vastly better SIMD support.

Erm, how so?
The CPU can't identify a virus. It just executes code. And if that code tells it to call the "delete file from harddrive" routine, it'll do that.
There is nothing in the PPC architecture that makes viruses more or less hard to make.
In the case of Apple, it is simply that 1) they're smaller, and present less of a target, and 2) their OS is built with at least some security in mind from the beginning. Unlike Windows where it's bolted on afterwards, when MS realized security was an issue.

That's what viruses usually do. Don't recall many that could cause hardware damage. That said, there's nothing to make that less likely to happen on the Wii in particular.

Wave does have a point about the calling conventions on PPC vs x86 (hadn't really thought about that from a security point of view, but I guess it makes sense), but that's still not a big deal. And it still relies on finding security flaws in the OS in the first place.

 

There has been a virus now for Ipod, so yes, viruses will be made for the Wii.

As perverted as I'm about to sound, I'm being serious. It's like reproduction education.

The only way to get around nowadays is to use protection. If you become an internet slut, saying yes to every pop up, downloading anything, visiting every site, you will get trojans, viruses, the works..

But the wii doesn't have protection, no?

If you can't use protection the best way is abstenence from crazy sites. You don't want the stds, err, viruses...

So don't be an internet slut and visit crazy sites.

 

To be fair, the "iPod virus" is basically for Linux installed on an iPod, and only works if you actually copy it to the iPod running Linux and execute it. It's not really a danger.

A Wii that is unhacked, etc. would be very difficult to infect, same with a PS3 or Xbox 360.

 

If it is designed for the wii's os, and considering it can go online, anything is possible.

 

Yes, because when you play RE4 you will...

 

I think it is possible, but not the same virus that would infect a PC. It depends if someone wrote a virus for the Wii, but if its just a PC virus then it probably can't infect you. After all, most PC viruses don't affect Macs on the same wireless network, because the virus doesn't work in the Mac OS, so the same would be for the Wii OS.

Its my assumption though, don't use my opinion as fact.

 

That's just plain wrong. The Sony PSP is a closed OS (On newer firmwares, as all retail PSPs now have) and still, unsigned code can run on that.

The only truly secure system is one that is completely isolated.

 

Very unlikely but within the realm of possibility.

 

How exactly do you get unsigned code to run on a PSP without a hack?

-Zadillo

 

My point exactly

 

x2

Nintendo are the most closed of the 3. I would not worry about the Wii at all

 

Is that really the case, that Nintendo is the most closed of the 3? I got the impression that Sony was generally the most closed.... just looking at the homebrew scene, it seems like anyone can buy a Flash card and run homebrew apps on their DS, for example, without anything special; but Sony's firmware has to be specifically hacked to even allow that (not even getting into the realm of piracy, etc.).

-Zadillo

 

Perhaps. Anyway, if we're talking homebrew scene, Sony are king We're all aware of the PSP scene. I read people have been experimenting with Linux with the PS3

imo any potential Wii owner will have to tear themselves away from Wii sports first! After trying it in a store... I am so close to going for one over a 360. Wii owners have other things to worry about it seems I would return to playing games on the Wii.

As the n00b - or should I say non-geek?, here who wouldn't know where to begin with talking about architecture this, that or the other, the Wii only gets downloads from the Wii channel? Would a hacker go to the trouble to either hack Nintendo first or bypass it? Again, move on imo

Feel free to comment though

 

Exactly my thoughts on this.