ransomware?

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On 2019-08-27 06:18, Aaron Jones wrote:

> This is a super subjective issue.
> 
> So Linux is a great OS but if you are here you probably know that. Here 
> are my recommendations.
> 
> 1. If you need to use Windows, then install https://www.sandboxie.com/ 
> and learn how to use it. Sandbox your email client, your web browser, 
> and anything that can move files from the internet to your computer.
> 
> 2. If you are using Linux, then install and use Firejail and apparmor 
> if possible. Learn how that works and deploy it. Manjaro users will 
> require a custom kernel but if you are an Ubuntu user you can use 
> AppArmor out the box.
> 
> 3. What delivery method are you afraid of? Javascript exploits? PDF 
> files? Putting weird devices into your ports?
> 
> You cannot mitigate the danger of ransomware until you understand your 
> security footprint and where you are most likely to be vulnerable. You 
> may be a business owner who deals with pdf invoices all day. That is a 
> major vulnerability and you may want to run `firejail mupdf` to deal 
> with those files.
> 
> Also some malware is designed to check if it is in a VM and not run in 
> the hopes you will move it out of the VM. Using a VM is a tool but not 
> a catch all resolution to the problem of running bad code.
> 
> What are you doing that could introduce bad code into your system? 
> Browsing websites? Sharing files over email? Using the computer for 
> business where you might be forced to plug a thumb drive in? Each of 
> these issues require specific steps to inoculate against danger.
> 
> Why not work towards eliminating the biggest virus of them all and get 
> rid of your reliance on Windows?


I thought I might respond to your get rid of windows.  Tried that and 
had to go back to Windows.  I have two issues with Linux as a 
workstation O/S.  One dealing with scanners and printers.  Not as easy 
as I would like. Windows is plug and play when it comes to printers and 
scanners.  The other issue I ran into that was a deal breaker was 
needing to use screen share software like go to meetings.  3 or 4 years 
ago the Linux support was not there, and I did not get to choose the 
screen share software.  I work remote and need to do lots of screen 
sharing with others who are remote.

I ran Linux on my desktop twice and would like to return.  In 2000 I ran 
Linux on my desktop for 8 months and then returned to Windows.  Again 
around 2010 I ran Linux on my Desktop for 4 or 5 years.  I returned to 
Windows only because of my team's requirement to do screen sharing.

At this point I am running some software that is not available on Linux.

As a PHP programmer I would rather run Linux exclusively because it 
would make my life much easier....




> 
> Thanks,
> Aaron
> 
> On Tue, Aug 27, 2019 at 5:59 AM David Schwartz 
> <newsletters at thetoolwiz.com> wrote:
> 
> Also curious about something in this respect:
> 
> What if you took a standard Windows 10 desktop from Dell or HP or 
> wherever, sucked the Windows out of it and put it into a VM (eg., 
> VirtualBox), then replaced the base install with a stripped-down Linux 
> core with enough there to run VirtualBox.
> 
> How secure would that be against ransomeware?
> 
> I'm thinking that if something infected the Windows VM, you could 
> simply delete it and restore from a recent backup.
> 
> They might siphon off some of your data, but you wouldn't be locked-out 
> or lose it for lack of backups.
> 
> I don't know how long those viruses might sit around dormant, but it 
> might help to install Malwarebytes or something to scan for them 
> anyway.
> 
> I also don't know how "spidery" the ransomeware code is in so far as it 
> could worm its way into your DB server or otherwise corrupt your data 
> there.
> 
> Thoughts?
> 
> -David Schwartz
> 
> On Aug 27, 2019, at 4:46 AM, Aaron Jones <retro64xyz at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Yes.
> 
> https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-1060828.html
> 
> There are plenty of ransomware products that target Linux but most 
> users are less affected due to the higher likelihood of backups and 
> version control and all the stuff that goes along with being a Linux 
> user.
> 
> On Aug 26, 2019, at 10:57 PM, Joe Lowder <joe at actionline.com> wrote:
> 
> Has there ever been a report of a Linux system
> being the victim of ransomware? Just curious.

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