Re: Scary article in Wall Street Journal today
Mark writes:
> ...is it a correct statement to say that these spyware/malware/virus
> .exe type files that try to install on a given machine, are virtually
> useless against Debian systems unless the user logs in as root to
> allow installation?
If they are Microsoft Windows ".exe type files" (which, AFAIK, they all
are) they are completely useless against Debian systems because they
will not run at all.
> At a minimum, wouldn't synaptic/aptitude request the root password
> before proceeding?
Only if they are targeted at Debian and wrapped in a script that calls
"synaptic/aptitude".
You could, in theory, be tricked into downloading a Linux executable,
installing it under your home directory, and running it. It would then
have access to all of your personal files.
--
John Hasler
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