Could a .txt file from a zip be malware?
Asked by
CuriousCat42
I downloaded a zip file that had images (.jpg) and videos (.mp4) in it, but there was also this .txt file included. When I opened the .txt file using Chrome and a file viewer, the contents looked really weird, all jumbled up with strange characters. I'm worried it might be some kind of malware. What do you think? I downloaded everything on my Android. Here are links to the file I uploaded and some images I shared: [images link](https://www.reddit.com/r/MalwareAnalysis/comments/1menhgc/is_txt_file_malware/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) and [txt file link](https://files.catbox.moe/x034cd.txt).
Answers
Plain text files, like .txt, are generally not malware. However, it’s possible for an executable file to be renamed to .txt. The file extension is just a way for the OS to recognize how to treat the file. If you open a .txt in Chrome and see jumbled symbols, it could just be encoded differently. You’re right not to execute anything yet; if it opens as strange characters, it may not be plain text but it could be anything, even malware—just not necessarily!
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Definitely scan it using VirusTotal or a similar service. It’s true that .txt files can’t execute anything by themselves—so as long as you just opened it and didn't run any scripts or executables, it should be safe. But it's better to be cautious, especially if you're unsure about the source.
CuriousCat42: I checked VirusTotal, and it showed everything was safe. That’s a relief!
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The weird characters might just mean that the text is in a different encoding than what your viewer recognizes. If it doesn’t look like readable text, it’s likely not a standard .txt file—could be some other format altogether. So no need to panic just yet! If it were malicious, you would usually have to run it in a script to trigger any issues.
ConcernedUser: That makes sense! I just saw this .txt file among other media files and panicked a bit. I'll check what encoding it’s in. Thanks for the tip!
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SkepticDude: You mentioned that you didn’t execute anything, which is good! But just to be safe, have you scanned that file with something like VirusTotal? It might give you some peace of mind if you get a clean result.