An image infected - likely /unlikely?

One uses macrium or acronis or whatever and makes images... can they get infeted by malware/viruses/ malicious codes in general?

likely /unlikely?

 

Highly unlikely-- unless targetted specifically.

 

making the image encrypted ot hiding it help??..on HD

 

I'd say pretty much impossible that a clean image could be subsequently infected.For example the images made in Macrium Reflect are read-only and AFAIK the same is true for other products.

 

Macrium and Acronis make an image of a systems state.
If that system is infected and an image is made of it, any restore of that image
will still be infected.

If infected, anything you download can be corrupted by malicious additions and attatchments. Malware cleaners recommend downloading Live CD's like Dr. Web from a known clean system.

 

Have the image on a separate Unplugged harddisk and it would be impossible for image to get infected. The Malware would have to be able to travel by itself through the Air.

 

I think you got it wrong. OP is asking if clean images can be infected/ penetrated by a malware.

 

That's OK. Being wrong is just a process of elimination to being right. So, eventually, I am always right.
If your computer is free of malware when an image is made and what you download isn't infected, then any image you make and stored on disk away from the computer should be clean.
If infected, all bets are off.

 

^^^Instant Quotable! Adding to signature... hope you don't mind.

 

Just checksum (md5, SHA-1, etc.) the thing and forget about it.