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Noob question: Is it reasonable to think that the spyware on these hard drives is targeted for specific OS's? I have a Seagate HDD and I run Linux (Ubuntu), so

Noob question: Is it reasonable to think that the spyware on these hard drives is targeted for specific OS's? I have a Seagate HDD and I run Linux (Ubuntu), so I'm wondering if I'd be immune to the spyware.

pornel 12y ago
If you're targeted by a 3-letter agency you can assume you're totally screwed no matter what OS you use. If they don't have an exploit for your OS yet, they'll write one. Also, there's an independent OS running inside your Intel CPU (vPro).
- psykovsky 12y ago
  Does the agency need to have 3 letters in its acronym for the attack to be that effective?
dmix 12y ago
No you're not immune. Linux kernel privilege escalation bugs come out all the time. There is a long documented history of Linux rootkits. And I'm assuming you are accessing HN through a browser: Firefox/Chrome browser exploits with sandbox escapes get reported each year. Also you probably boot using UEFI, and there was presentation last year about UEFI bootkits which can hook into Kernels. In addition, Ubuntu is one of the most popular Linux distros (if not the most) and doesn't use rolling releases, so it's probably an easier target compared to most distros. You can't achieve security strictly through technology choices, such as which operating system you choose. Although there is some value in choosing less-popular technology.
- jonathantm 12y ago
  Even worse on LTS? *(Version of Ubuntu developed for long-term use).
  - deleted 12y ago
    [deleted]
bigiain 12y ago
I certainly wouldn't rely on being "immune", but I'd take some solace in the idea that I'd be unlikely to be swept up in internet-scale exploit-all-the-things kind of programs. (If you're actually an NSA target, I doubt any device with more transistors than a flashlight should be considered "immune".)
rasz_pl 12y ago
Yes: >The supported file systems are: FAT, NTFS, EXT3 and UFS. sits specifically targeting most Windows versions, Linux and OSX.
- kalleboo 12y ago
  How is that targeting OS X if it doesn't support HFS+?
  - rasz_pl 12y ago
    good point, on the other hand those snowden leaked slides were from 2008, plenty of time to enhance compatibility
kalleboo 12y ago
Yes the spyware would have to be targeted to the OS they want to infect. There's no reason to believe Linux would be immune though. I imagine using an encrypted filesystem would be immune though.

pornel 12y ago

If you're targeted by a 3-letter agency you can assume you're totally screwed no matter what OS you use. If they don't have an exploit for your OS yet, they'll write one. Also, there's an independent OS running inside your Intel CPU (vPro).

psykovsky 12y ago
Does the agency need to have 3 letters in its acronym for the attack to be that effective?

dmix 12y ago

No you're not immune. Linux kernel privilege escalation bugs come out all the time. There is a long documented history of Linux rootkits. And I'm assuming you are accessing HN through a browser: Firefox/Chrome browser exploits with sandbox escapes get reported each year. Also you probably boot using UEFI, and there was presentation last year about UEFI bootkits which can hook into Kernels. In addition, Ubuntu is one of the most popular Linux distros (if not the most) and doesn't use rolling releases, so it's probably an easier target compared to most distros. You can't achieve security strictly through technology choices, such as which operating system you choose. Although there is some value in choosing less-popular technology.

jonathantm 12y ago
Even worse on LTS? *(Version of Ubuntu developed for long-term use).
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]

bigiain 12y ago

I certainly wouldn't rely on being "immune", but I'd take some solace in the idea that I'd be unlikely to be swept up in internet-scale exploit-all-the-things kind of programs. (If you're actually an NSA target, I doubt any device with more transistors than a flashlight should be considered "immune".)

rasz_pl 12y ago

Yes: >The supported file systems are: FAT, NTFS, EXT3 and UFS. sits specifically targeting most Windows versions, Linux and OSX.

kalleboo 12y ago
How is that targeting OS X if it doesn't support HFS+?
- rasz_pl 12y ago
  good point, on the other hand those snowden leaked slides were from 2008, plenty of time to enhance compatibility

kalleboo 12y ago

Yes the spyware would have to be targeted to the OS they want to infect. There's no reason to believe Linux would be immune though. I imagine using an encrypted filesystem would be immune though.