[Novalug] another bootable thumbdrive matter

Derek LaHousse dlahouss@mtu.edu
Sat Dec 27 01:18:25 EST 2014


IronKey will sell you a boatload of acronyms.  We can trust them about
as much as Windows and the control software on a 747.  Have you
inspected the source code on a 747?

USBCheck is different, that's for bad wiring on USB ports, not for
checking firmware on a re-written USB device.  Your real defense is
epoxy.

On Sat, Dec 27, 2014 at 12:46 AM, Bonnie Dalzell <bdalzell@qis.net> wrote:
> On Sat, 27 Dec 2014, Derek LaHousse wrote:
>
>> Well, his concern is real, even if his (given) reason is dumb.  His
>> Windows mentality is that Linux is a virus that will infect his
>> machine with Freedom.  j/k
>>
>> https://srlabs.de/badusb/
>
>
> scarey
>
> there already seem to be some proposed defenses:
>
>
> IronKey Secure USB devices
>
> http://www.ironkey.com/en-US/solutions/protect-against-badusb.html
>
> USBCheck – First Line of Defense Against Bad USB Ports - See more at:
> http://homenetworking01.info/2008/12/usbcheck-first-line-of-defense-against-bad-usb-ports/
>
> wonder if they work
>
>
>>
>> If you booted from a USB stick that wanted to, it could indeed
>> overwrite the MBR of all the disks on the system.  On the other hand,
>> he's running Windows.  A USB stick from a known person should be much
>> lower on his list of concerns than say, Adobe Reader, Flash,
>> Javascript, or spilling the coffee from the automatic coffee-tray.
>>
>> On Fri, Dec 26, 2014 at 9:34 PM, Bonnie Dalzell via Novalug
>> <novalug@firemountain.net> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> So far the only way I can create them and have them work is with
>>> UNetbootin
>>> despite trying a number of methods suggested.
>>>
>>> I can get the files easily to the drive but I cannot seem to get the
>>> resulting install to boot.
>>>
>>> The linux mint xfce install i did tonight seems to work very well and is
>>> indeed persistent.
>>>
>>> I was speaking to my friend in TX that I am making the bootable
>>> thumbdrive
>>> with the program I am writing on it, but her husband, a windows geek says
>>> he
>>> will not allow the bootable thumbdrive to be plugged into one of their
>>> computers because its mbr can easily contain a root virus which will
>>> infect
>>> the mbr of any computer it is plugged into.
>>>
>>> I thought that booting a thumbdrive from the menu generated by F8 meant
>>> that
>>> you were not accessing  the system you are using's hard drive at all.
>>>
>>> but I am not very knowledgeable about these early launch things.
>>>
>>> is there any reality to this fear?
>>>
>>> I appreciate any time one of you might have in relation to this matter.
>>>
>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>>                        Bonnie Dalzell, MA
>>> mail:PO box 9767 Baldwin, MD, USA 21013  |  EMAIL:bdalzell@qis.net
>>> shipping address:5100 Hydes Rd 21082 (Hydes Post Office closed Jan 2012)
>>> Freelance anatomist, vertebrate paleontologist, writer, illustrator, dog
>>> breeder, computer nerd & iconoclast... Borzoi info at www.borzois.com.
>>> HOME www.batw.net    ART bdalzellart.batw.net  BUSINESS
>>> www.boardingatwedge.com
>>>
>>> **********************************************************************
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>>
>>
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>                        Bonnie Dalzell, MA
> mail:PO box 9767 Baldwin, MD, USA 21013  |  EMAIL:bdalzell@qis.net
> shipping address:5100 Hydes Rd 21082 (Hydes Post Office closed Jan 2012)
> Freelance anatomist, vertebrate paleontologist, writer, illustrator, dog
> breeder, computer nerd & iconoclast... Borzoi info at www.borzois.com.
> HOME www.batw.net    ART bdalzellart.batw.net  BUSINESS
> www.boardingatwedge.com




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