Can a fresh install of windows on virtualbox be infected?

[signofzeta]

Here's the deal. I want to try to get this game that only happens to run on XP to work on my windows 8 machine by running it on xp via virtual box.

The problem is that the only windows XP machine I have, with a preinstalled windows xp died (motherboard failed), and I don't have a legit copy of windows xp,and finding a legit copy is a pain, so the only alternative is to do the one month trial and reset everything, and I don't want to have to install the antivirus and all that stuff over and over.

I hear of viruses spreading from guest to host, but let's say I just installed xp on virtualbox, and I leave it running, and do nothing. No antivirus is installed, and the host and guest is somehow connected. Will a virus eventually get into the virtual machine, and make its way into the host machine, without me opening any programs?

To make this question simpler, let's say you bought a new PC, installed a windows OS, and have it connected to the internet. No firewall and no antivirus is installed. The router is secure though. Will that PC be infected just because it is on?

What are the odds of an idle PC that is on for 24 hours to be infected if it does not have antivirus or firewall?

 

[asvent]

As long as the VM doesn't have an Internet connection, and the host OS is free of infection, it would be very difficult for something to make its way into XP.

 

[signofzeta]

I have set it so that a folder in the virtual machine is the same folder as in the host machine. I also set it so that the virtual machine's network cable is unplugged, but the host machine's network cable is plugged in. With this setup, a virus can only get into the host machine, and not into the virtual machine without going through the host machine first right?

As long as I set it so that the virtual pc network cable is unplugged, even though the host pc and virtual pc is connected with each other somehow?

 

[Xx3qmxX]

You don't really need anti-virus in a virtual box/machine

 

[fafhrd]

You can download 90-day VirtualBox VM versions of XP - clean and legit - from here:

https://www.modern.ie/en-gb/virtualization-tools#downloads

 

[Xx3qmxX]

Why don't you just buy an actually Windows XP disk, there about £22 ($35) on amazon.

 

[oneeyed]

I don't have a legit copy of windows xp,and finding a legit copy is a pain, so the only alternative is to do the one month trial and reset everything

The Windows XP Mode is a VM (originally for Virtual PC) of Windows XP Professional (SP3). You can retrieve it manually if you're up for it and use it in VirtualBox.

It's free, no time limit, and directly from Microsoft (can't be safer than that) : Download Windows XP Mode from Official Microsoft Download Center

Here are more instructions : Import Windows XP Mode into VirtualBox

You can also do the same with VMWare Player : Run XP Mode on Windows 7 Machines Using VMware

I hear of viruses spreading from guest to host, but let's say I just installed xp on virtualbox, and I leave it running, and do nothing.

It IS always possible to get a malware that can bypass the guest. But in practice, it's very difficult. At worst in most cases, malware will stay dormant if it detects it's running in a VM, so no real danger.
If you don't launch install/launch applications from the guest... Then well, nothing malicious will come from it.

No firewall and no antivirus is installed. The router is secure though. Will that PC be infected just because it is on?

No it won't be. The router should block incoming connections by default (check its configuration to be sure though), you'll be as safe as any other modern Windows setup with the software Firewall active. I'd still recommend to have an AV in real-time protection on the Host though (The built-in Windows Defender should be fine, it's very lightweight), but no need for one on the guest.