Hi,

I was thinking about making a disk partition for trying some of the "risky" software out there for game development purposes. Obviously the potential purposes are far too long to list here, covering almost any category.

My system for the PC that I want to use for this is Windows 7.

How secure and safe is it to experiment with software in a separate partition for the job? ... perhaps with its own operating system (Maybe Linux?) What are the odds that malware will circumvent the partitions?

Running an executable with malware from a different partition won't prevent it from infecting other partitions. What you want is a sandbox or a VM or something.

Right, you want a VM; a partition and/or separate OS install will guarantee you nothing of what you want. If a VM won't do what you need (e.g. for lack of suitable hardware acceleration of 3D programs or somesuch), a second machine is preferable.

Remember that malware by definition doesn't play by the rules, it'll use every trick it knows to firmly seat itself on your machine.

Yep. And for maximum safety that VM shouldn't use the HW virtualization extensions/acceleration, and have its virtual Ethernet connection unplugged (the VM shouldn't be capable of communicating with the real machine)

Yep. And for maximum safety that VM shouldn't use the HW virtualization extensions/acceleration, and have its virtual Ethernet connection unplugged (the VM shouldn't be capable of communicating with the real machine)

And keep in mind that even *that* isn't 100% watertight, as malware may very well exploit vulnerabilities in the VM's drivers or memory management to pull themselves out of the VM and infect the host, for instance this vulnerability report describing how the VirtualBox 3D graphics driver can be compromised to run arbitrary code on the host system. Admittedly this comes from a driver that taps into the host's 3D acceleration capabilities, but it could potentially happen for any driver, even a simple virtual mouse or keyboard driver. Of course, all that is unlikely to be a threat in practice, as almost all malware isn't VM-aware, and most of those who are just want to shut down so they can't be analyzed (the primary reason malware finds itself in a VM to begin with) so run-of-the-mill malware will be well-contained in a VM with no network connection.

Okay,

I got the confirmation that I needed from you folk.

What I decided is to use a couple System Image Backups. I will make one that is pristine for general use and the other for dirty work. It only takes my PC about 25-30 minutes to delete the drives and install a System Image, so while it is doing its thing I will grab a bite to eat, walk the dog, etc.. then return to use the one that I want at the time.

VM is likely in the future, so when I dive into that then I will make a third System Image Backup for the VM loaded system.

Thanks

Exactly what kind of malware do you expect to pick up from Gamedev?

If you are doing things legitimately it should be relatively safe - game developers generally just want to get their games seen and wouldnt risk their reputation by sending malware instead, and if you get your development tools from legitimate sites there is no real risk of getting a virus, unless you are going to get it from warez sites (ugh, ugh, ugh i feel dirty for mentioning it!).

Follow sensible security practices as you would for any other usage of the computer - don't execute software from untrusted sources or software you did not explicitly go looking for, and don't just follow instructions of strangers blindly - this does go for tutorial code too - if you arent sure, read it and understand it before you run it.

Take regular backups. Test those backups. If neccessary, use antivirus software. These are common sense pieces of advice for any usage of a computer in the modern age.

Have fun!

Quick Edit: if you're really concerned, install an OS to a seperate disk, and yank out the disk you want to protect before booting your sacrificial OS... There is no malware that can move to a disk that isnt physically connected.