"Clean" computer

[clyde]

If a new hard drive is installed in a computer, and that computer has not been connected to the internet by any means, is it possible that viruses or malware remain in it from its previous internet use?

[Sarcany]

There is such a thing as an EFI hack which would survive replacing a hard drive, tho almost all of them require physical access to the computer.

Some in the hands of government actors can probably be installed via malware.

Have you got any reason to believe that the CIA is after you?

[GGD]

Depends on what's on that new hard drive and how it got there. If you restored a backup of another hard drive from a computer that had been on the internet it's quite possible that if there was malware on that other drive and it got backed up, then it will be on the restored drive.

If the new hard drive just has a fresh OS install then it's pretty safe, and also pretty boring since it has no applications or user files, or internet access.

[hal]

I suspect that for a common home user, it's about as likely as surviving a plane crash, then surviving a lightning strike 5 minutes later.

[testcase]

YES, it IS possible.

[Carm]

On a PC, yes if it’s in the BIOS/Firmware

[Filliam H. Muffman]

For a while Lenovo had a rootkit in their BIOS that supposedly might allow a hacker into the machine no matter the OS. It was specifically designed to work with Windows to allow them to reinstall bloatware on machines that had been wiped.

[JEBB]

Viruses are a Windows problem not a Mac or Linux problem. Viruses and malware are programs. If you want to be super safe and be sure there are no such programs on your computer you should erase and reformat that hard drive.