Is My Laptop Infected? Can the Virus Spread to USB Drives and Other Devices?
Asked by
CuriousUser92
I've been noticing strange behavior on my laptop, like the cursor moving by itself and opening new tabs in Chrome. It got worse when Windows Defender detected a Trojan RAT in a temporary folder from uTorrent. I'm using Windows 11 and want to wipe everything and reinstall, but I have some concerns.
First, can the virus spread to my USB sticks, Android phone, or Kindle? I also have another laptop running Windows 10 connected to the same Wi-Fi—could the virus jump to that one too? I want to save some files onto USB drives before formatting, but I'm worried they might carry the virus and infect my laptop again later. Plus, my second laptop sometimes shows CMD windows popping up at startup, so I'm quite anxious about both devices.
I'd appreciate any advice on handling this situation safely!
Answers
Yes, a virus can definitely spread through USB drives and networks. It's pretty common for malware to make the jump to other devices if they’re connected on the same Wi-Fi or if you’re transferring files between them. Considering you used uTorrent, that’s a known risk.
My advice? Clean your laptop thoroughly, remove uTorrent, and definitely scan your USB drives before using them on the fresh install. You might want to format the USB sticks to ensure they’re clean, but be sure not to copy any executable files back to your laptop after that.
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ConcernedUser88: I see! How do I properly clean my USB sticks? If there's malware on them and I format, won't it just infect my laptop again? I’m a bit confused about the whole USB infection thing.