How do you run altcoin wallets/software you don't necessarily trust?

[weav]

Do you install the binaries? Compile from source? Read the source ()? Install every wallet on a dedicated system or in a separate VM?

I'm concerned some of the plethora of altcoins might actually contain malware and steal your other wallets if you install it on the same system.

Are there any known cases of that sort?

[jasonslow]

First scan via virustotal. Then I install on vps.

[TheSpiral]

It's possible, but it's usually from unknown sources, i.e. someone else compiles from source, adding in their own malicious part.
VM's are usually the easiest way to test.

[weav]

Mine I install on vps.

One dedicated VPS instance for every altcoin?

[jasonslow]

Mine I install on vps.

One dedicated VPS instance for every altcoin?

Yes, Separate vps instance per altcoin. One windows azure account can get you up to 20 vps.

[weav]

Mine I install on vps.

One dedicated VPS instance for every altcoin?

Yes, Separate vps instance per altcoin. One windows azure account can get you up to 20 vps.

Oh, pretty cool, thanks

EDIT: but also pretty expensive http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/pricing/calculator/?scenario=virtual-machines

[noel]

to be super safe operate them in a VM session run at least one antivirus in it, if it is setting off all sorts of alarm bells just delete that VM a start a new one or clone from a clean one for each new coin or what ever it is you do not trust.

[e521]

just run a virtualbox locally using a linux distro like ubuntu/mint
you don't have to spend any money

[weav]

just run a virtualbox locally using a linux distro like ubuntu/mint
you don't have to spend any money

yes, separate local VM per altcoin looks like a good and very affordable solution, vps offers automatic setup and backups and a high level of failover though

thanks all

[digitalindustry]

C$

[niniyo]

This is why I wish alt coins would manage their source code properly.  All these altcoins seem to just do one big initial commit which is a copy of the litecoin source, rather than properly forking the litecoin repo and keeping all the history there.  Litecoin did a proper fork of bitcoin, which means you can cryptographically confirm that they have based it on the same code as bitcoin, and then can also clearly see what patches they have added on top.

When they just do one giant code dump in an initial commit, you can do a diff to compare with litecoin, but when this comes back with 800,000 lines, I'm not about to sit there reading it all to work out why its so different to my litecoin tree (eg. could be a older or newer litecoin version - hard to tell without proper git history).

[frobley]

run them first on the wife's/kids pcs... 
nothing important on there

seriously, use any old shit pc other than your own, for testing, watch processes, netstat, some logs etc
you have no idea of what kind of malicious code someone might be running from a new wallet.
Don't ever think that an antivirus scan will save you either.

VM is ok if you can stand the clutter I guess.. just not for me

[loucy]

On linux, I run the daemon with an apparmor profile. Any suspicious activity like file access outside the wallet directory will be denied and logged.

[moiraine]

look at the source and compile it yourself! Safest option imo 

[kimosan]

VM.

[MashRinx]

Virtual Machine.  VirtualBox is free.