linux4noobs

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linux4noobs

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after 4 years of Linux I'm still lost.. (feddit.org)

submitted 4 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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I used PopOS, but once they announced they'll start focusing on their Cosmic desktop, I switched to Fedora KDE it worked to some degree until it crashed and I lost some data, now I'm on Ultramarine GNOME and it doesn't seem to like my hardware ( fans are spinning fast )

my threat model involves someone trying to physically unlock my device, so I always enable disk encryption, but I wonder why Linux doesn't support secure boot and TPM based encryption ( I know that Ubuntu has plans for the later that's why I'm considering it rn )

I need something that keeps things updated and adobts newer standards fast ( that's why I picked Fedora KDE in the first place ), I also use lots of graphical tools and video editing software, so I need the proprietary Nvidia drivers

Idk what to choose ಥ_ಥ ? the only one that seem to care about using hardware based encryption is Ubuntu, while other distros doesn't support that.. the problem with Ubuntu is there push for snaps ( but that can be avoided by the user )

security heads say: if you care about security, you shouldn't be using systemd, use something like Gentoo or Alpine.. yeah but do you expect me to compile my software after ? hell no

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I was going off what you said:

my threat model involves someone trying to physically unlock my device

This doesn't sound to me as if you're concerned about espionage - repeated, covert, root access to your computer, for the purpose of installing software to capture your keys, so that they can steal your computer and have complete access. If someone has remote root access to your computer, you're fucked, TPM or not; they'll just read what they want whenever you're logged in and using your computer.

TPM is for when you might not have secured physical access to your computer. Like, you're worried the NSA is going to sneak into your house while you're out shopping, pull your HD, replace the boot loader, and re-install it before you get home.

If you're only worried about, say, losing a laptop, or a search & seizure at your house, an encrypted HD is good enough. TPM and a keylocked BIOS are belts-and-suspenders, but if they want to get at the data they'll just pull the HD and run code-breaking software on it on and entirely different super-computer. TPM won't help you at all in that case.

Honestly, TPM is for a specific threat mode, which is much more like ongoing espionage, than simple opportunity theft. Your stated use case sounds more like the latter than the former.

[+] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago (1 children)

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[–] Sbauer 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Because i don't have second chances, which is why I wish there's way to erase everything by entering a key combination.. somehow.. Idk.. like Android has that..

That triggered a memory for me. Apparently certain SSD(Samsung I heard of, not sure about others) always encrypt your data in hardware with a random key, this is done transparently to the OS and is otherwise unremarkable.

What it archives though and afaik is intended for is the possibility of easily and quickly "erasing" the disk by just overwriting that encryption key a couple times, I don’t remember if that used a special tool or something but if that is useful to you it probably wouldn’t be hard to find more info on this.

Samsung is a reasonably trustworthy company, not from US/UK, not Chinese, so if they say they have a clean implementation of this I’d trust them. Would be kinda a national security issue for them if it wasn’t seeing how Samsung is everywhere in gov an private sector in Korea.

[+] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

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[–] Sbauer 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I'm speculating here, but it wouldn't be far fetched if they designed a secure encrypted clean hardware for the government with military grade encryption as they like to call it, while the end users receives only enough encryption power to protect against normie threat actors like a spouse...etc companies have these policies where they provide a premium/quality products for businesses and governments but cheap or in many cases poorly made products to end users .. like Windows Home

I can see why you think that, but that is US centric thinking. South Korea probably cares a whole lot more about corporate security vs government security compared to the US. I don’t mean to say they don’t care about government secrets, but it’s different. No nukes, no Cold War against a superpower, instead a couple huge conglomerates basically keeping the entire GDP afloat.

Samsung in Korea isn’t like the Samsung we know, they built everything from cars, tanks, ships, insurances, constructions(they built the burj khalifa), pharmaceuticals etc.

There are probably a handful of conglomerates like that in South Korea and they basically built a state around them to manage their employees needs.