I downloaded the Doom wad (full version hopefully) to use in DSDoom, thats why this post is here. Anyway, I've read a few horor stories where the wads are virus's. The file description said "Download Me!!!!" so that why i'm a bit worried. The files size is around 12mb, so if that is any indication then tell me.
Any file from a nontrusted source should be a source of concern. Take all appropriate measures such as scanning. Having said that, are there DS specific virii? Most viruses are going to be written to run on a PC running some version of windows, I would assume. As I understand things, the DS firmware is hard to get to from an application absent some sort of DS specific script. I'll have to leave this discussion to those more expert than I.
If I remember right there were a couple DS viruses, Taihen was a hentai slideshow that destroyed your firmware and dsbrick did the same thing minus the sexyness. If Doom can run the .wad's they should be ok, but again I suggest scanning first.
Well. I wasn't aware of those threats. Let's go all tutorial on this. What should one do to enhance one's sense of security when receiving a file from an unknown source? What exactly does "scanning" mean? Software recommendations? Basic procedures? Particular methods that have worked for people? Telltale things to watch for and never touch? Wiki style. Jump right in with what you know.
Increased security? Flashme, it has a failsafe for that kind of thing. By scanning I mean using a program like Mcafee Viruscan or Norton Antivirus and scanning it for viruses. Mcafee would be my preferred app. The DS viruses weren't really spread very far though, the files I remember were taihen.nds and r0mloader.nds, those deleted your DS's firmware, which is why Flashme is important. I really wouldn't worry about it, but it's good to scan the .nds files for viruses.
Well an anti-virus program is a must, most good anti-virus programs will automatically detect the DS trojan mentioned by nintenut. Most anti-virus programs also include the ability to manually initiate a scan of any file (usually by right-clicking the file and choosing "scan with AVG" for example) There is also a program called DSLazy that can scan nds files for 'CrashMe' (the DS trojan). Your chances of actually downloading something that will damage your DS is VERY unlikly, I have been in the scene pretty much since it started and have never downloaded the trojan unknowingly (downloaded it once purposefully to check it out). EDIT: seems nintenut replied while i was slowly typing
Quick run to Google suggests DSLazy isn't in development anymore and wasn't effective in finding the CrashMe code, according to one site. Other suggestions short of purchased full blown anti virus software?
Ah, can't say i've ever properly used it (tested it with the two known trojans) but never used since. Maybe look into AVG anti-virus? It is what I use and it's free, never had a virus while using AVG, and it has prevented one or two getting on my system. Not sure if it detects the DS trojan though I would think so. Also I think Moonshell might have some sort of protection when loading NDS files through it, so you might want to look into how that works.
Found this: 9. The Crashme aka the DS Virus: It is not a virus really, just some .nds files that will brick your DS and/or your flashkit if run. There are 2 versions of the crashme out there: - r0mloader.zip (shows a brick wall) - taihen.zip (shows a hentai pic) The DSlazy-tool can be used to detect the crashmes in your homebrew/backup or u can use Norton (and probably other antivirus tools) to detect em too. DSLazy: http://l33t.spod.org/ratx/DS/dslazy/ Installing the flashme is probably the best way to protect your DS from bricking. The crashmes only overwrites some parts of the firmware, so the latest versions of flashme has been made to be runnable even when some parts has been erased. The bootable part of flashme is protected by the SL1, that why u need to shorten the SL1 when u install flashme initially. This allows u to reinstall flashme and clean up your DS. If your flashkit has been "bricked" too, u most likely have to reformat the kit. It depends on the kit how hard it is to recover. Cheaper kits are usually quite hard to recover, where as the expencive kits like M3 and G6 can be saved by doing a simple firmware upgrade. The reason the M3/G6 is nearly unhurt by a crashme is because parts of the booting/firmware is hardware encoded. Usually u can find info on the manufactures site on how to unbrick if u run out of luck. From http://forums.qj.net/f-nds-hacks-modding-media-55/t-how-to-play-homebrew-on-your-ds-34964.html by P-Chan.
here is another program that also checks for brickers (Virii) plus it trims roms http://techsuki.net/nintendo-ds-rom-trimmer