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Thread: Paranoia dual-boot question

  1. #1
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    Paranoia dual-boot question

    I want to dual boot windows 7 and a linux distro; linux for everyday use, and windows for... LoL. I've been paranoialy researching security and anonymity for the past month, and have only a few questions that remain unanswered. The only documentation I could find is in http://www.centos.org/docs/5/html/5....ader-grub.html saying to use a bootloader password so an attacker can't boot into an insecure operating system. So my question is this: How insecure is dual-booting with an insecure os (windows)? while using windows would a remote attacker be able to look in my linux partition and compromise my system? Thanks in advance. I know this may be a silly question, but I still don't know all that much about security and how attacks work, so I have to assume anything is possible. Also, what's the best way to be anonymous while online? I had thought VPN->TOR and 4 (or so) anonymous re-mailers for communication, but I recently read an article on here that said maybe TOR wasn't the best option.
    Last edited by lisati; July 12th, 2013 at 01:53 AM. Reason: Removed offensive word

  2. #2
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    Re: Paranoia dual-boot question

    Welcome to the Ubuntu Forums

    I think the user habits (how you browse the internet, manage your mail, and install security updates) are more important than special tools to increase the security of your system. But anyway, see this link

    https://wiki.ubuntu.com/BasicSecurity

    For tasks, where you need extra security, you can use

    https://tails.boum.org/

  3. #3
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    Re: Paranoia dual-boot question

    Well, if someone has physical access to your machine, then it is game over, unless you use so called 'full disk encryption'. The boot loader password and BIOS password serve to further reduce the size of the unprotected system information.

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    Re: Paranoia dual-boot question

    @sudodus:
    Thanks! ...Oh yeah... user habits... I also use Windows 7 for porn...
    That was one of the first security documentation I read for linux, and I will refer to it when I install and configure my linux distro. Everything I agree with in it except that I hear SELinux is more secure than apparmor? something to do with the kernel and whatnot? I already had the Noscript, AdBlock Plus, and ghostery addons for firefox on Windows 7, and the sticky for Noscript on here was godly in helping me understand what it actually did and how to configure it better.
    I'll check out using Tails, but its still TOR, which doesn't quell my rising doubts about the privacy of TOR.

    @HermanAB:
    I have a couple CKT versions of PGP I can use for that... also that brings up another question: can I use my CKT PGP instead of GnuPG with linux?
    I'm more worried about remote attacks than physical attacks though.

  5. #5
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    Re: Paranoia dual-boot question

    If you mean attacks from the internet to your computer...You can prevent this by buying a good firewall router (not the cheap models!).
    Then you computer is behind a hardware firewall! So, this will already take longer to hack into your computer (check your logs on this firewall, from time to time, to see if somebody tries, some models give option to send you mail, if somebody try's!). The second option you can do, but normally ubuntu is already standard configured with ufw (software firewall), is activate this one! You can always add there some ip-tables into ufw to get more protection, or to block more...
    Then you can also encrypt your documents with an encryptor like advanced encryptor package!

    Take a good and difficult root & administrator password...don't install things you did not ask....don't work in root mode....

    You can always install Windows on different HD and Linux on other HD and don't make use of there bootloaders! You can select this normally also by the BIOS function.
    You do this, by entering your BIOS -> go to tab MAIN -> enable Boot option menu , save and restart when PC restart press F12 (this is for acer, check this on google for other computers if this F-key is same) then you get menu from BIOS and select wich harddrive you want to start!

    If you google a little bit, you can find lot's of ways to this!
    Last edited by coffeecat; July 13th, 2013 at 09:05 PM. Reason: Please spell "Windows" correctly.

  6. #6
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    Re: Paranoia dual-boot question

    I don't have money, so I have to use coffee shop wifi (I know, I know). I know to use least privileges and whatnot with SELinux and firewalls and whatnot... I read an article about someone who used 3 software firewalls to protect his computer (I think it was Windows), would this be an alternative option for Linux? I haven't heard of AEP, I will check it out, but isn't PGP/GnuPG enough/better? It's an Asus, and it's esc. As I said before, no money = using different partitions... or could I run something like DSL from a live cd, and fit everything I want on that cd?

  7. #7
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    Re: Paranoia dual-boot question

    I think you are really confused as to what a firewall actually is, there is only one firewall, that is built into the kernel, called netfilter. All the rest are just front-ends, ufw, gufw, iptables etc, to make it easier to create firewall rules. Everything else you mentioned in your last post, are just different secure methods for other services. AEP is a is a secure, remote application access gateway, pgp/gnupgp is a way of encrypting email.

    The best thing you can do to secure your Ubuntu installation is to read and understand the stickies at the top of this sub-forum.

    If you were really paranoid, you should be using one of the BSD's, and completely get rid of any Linux distributions and WIndows.
    Last edited by cariboo; July 14th, 2013 at 08:21 AM.

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    Re: Paranoia dual-boot question

    Quote Originally Posted by cariboo907 View Post
    I think you are really confused as to what a firewall actually is, there is only one firewall, that is built into the kernel, called netfilter. All the rest are just front-ends, ufw, gufw, iptables etc, to make it easier to create firewall rules. Everything else you mentioned in your last post, are just different secure methods for other services. AEP is a is a secure, remote application access gateway, pgp/gnupgp is a way of encrypting email. The best thing you can do to secure your Ubuntu installation is to read and understand the stickies at the top of this sub-forum. If you were really paranoid, you should be using one of the BSD's, and completely get rid of any Linux distributions and WIndows.
    http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/320 (I think this is the article I was referring to) And by stacking firewalls I don't mean stacking GUI's, I mean firewalls such as InJoy and IPCop. Did I not mention that I've spent a month researching security? Just because I thought my original question may have been a little over the top and therefore possibly 'retarded' doesn't mean that I am retarded. Please refrain from assuming that I am.

  9. #9
    monkeybrain2012 is offline Grande Half-n-Half Cinnamon Ubuntu
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    Re: Paranoia dual-boot question

    What do you use Windows for? Unless you play games or short of ram just put it in Virtualbox and save yourself the hassles of partitioning and rebooting . It doesn't even need to connect to the internet.

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    Re: Paranoia dual-boot question

    Quote Originally Posted by chainlinkfence View Post
    http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/320 (I think this is the article I was referring to) And by stacking firewalls I don't mean stacking GUI's, I mean firewalls such as InJoy and IPCop. Did I not mention that I've spent a month researching security? Just because I thought my original question may have been a little over the top and therefore possibly 'retarded' doesn't mean that I am retarded. Please refrain from assuming that I am.
    I just said you seemed confused, this is a Ubuntu support forum, and as such, we are talking about securing your Ubuntu installation. I don't use WIndows enough, to even comment on how to secure your system. As for multiple firewalls, the Windows users in my household have the standard Windows firewall enabled, and I have a router with the firewall enabled, so I guess you could say that they are using two firewalls, I personally don't have any firewall rules set on my Ubuntu/Debian installs, as I feel the router firewall is enough for me. My feeling is that if you are running multiple firewalls, it is a sort of belt and suspenders approach, if a belt is good enough to hold up your jeans, then using suspenders along with the belt must be twice as good.

    I have to say though, that if I'm out and about with my netbook, running gnome-shell, I enable the firewall rules, before I even leave home, and in many cases, run a port scan against it to see if there are any open ports.

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