It doesn't matter whether you are using internal or external hard drives or other peripherals.
They can get corrupted with malicious Trojans. When your backups suffer with these intrusions you will end up with "Blue Screens". . . especially when running Windows.
Your files can get infected anytime you open your files in your external hard drives when using any app associated with the files you have, since most of these apps will require to connect to the internet.
I do on-line trade on wall street and I always (mostly) on white paper to complete transactions.
Even a brand new hard drive or USB stick can come with built-in malware--thanks to Chinese hacks on-the-prowl.
