Security in Debian.

Message

noviceDebian · #1 Post by **noviceDebian** » 2018-12-18 03:43

I'm a novice user of Linux. I'm presently on Fedora and I'm noticing suspicious behaviour since I started using. I haven't downloaded any suspicious software. All these symptoms seem to point to a malware infection.

I'm thinking of switching to Debian, is Debian more secure than most Linux distros like, Mint, SUSE, Fedora, Ubuntu, etc?

What precautions can I take while using Debian to protect it against malware infections?

Thanks

#2 Post by **Hallvor** » 2018-12-18 05:42

Are you sure you are infected? What symptoms?

None1975 · #3 Post by **None1975** » 2018-12-18 14:13

Hello. Check this and this.

noviceDebian · #4 Post by **noviceDebian** » 2018-12-19 02:34

Hallvor wrote:Are you sure you are infected? What symptoms?

Like allusions to what I typed in my off-line documents. Similar knowledge of activities on my computer, which were not related to internet or social media.

#5 Post by **dilberts_left_nut** » 2018-12-19 05:30

“Security” is a process that has more to do with the user than the OS, so you’ll likely find Debian pretty similar to Fedora in that regard.

noviceDebian · #6 Post by **noviceDebian** » 2018-12-19 06:08

I understand what you are saying. But as I explained in my OP, I haven't installed any suspicious software, all the software I have installed, either came with the installation or through official or RPM Fusion repositories.

Either someone has hacked my Fedora, or by default it is transmitting data to someone else.

Does Debian have any built-in backdoors, etc?

#7 Post by **Hallvor** » 2018-12-19 08:59

If you are sure your computer is being tapped, take it offline. Then check your system for intrusion with Tripwire or similar.

noviceDebian · #8 Post by **noviceDebian** » 2018-12-20 03:19

Hallvor wrote:If you are sure your computer is being tapped, take it offline. Then check your system for intrusion with Tripwire or similar.

As I have already noticed suspicious activity with my Fedora, it might have been compromised, would running Tripwire now be helpful? Because all the checksums would be for infected files.

llivv · #9 Post by **llivv** » 2018-12-20 03:45

take a look at rkhunter maybe it will be more to your liking.

noviceDebian · #10 Post by **noviceDebian** » 2018-12-20 09:27

llivv wrote:take a look at rkhunter maybe it will be more to your liking.

Everything came clean, you can check the summary presented below. That warning you see was for "Checking if SSH root access is allowed" which I set to no.

Code: Select all

System checks summary
=====================

File properties checks...
    Files checked: 135
    Suspect files: 0

Rootkit checks...
    Rootkits checked : 503
    Possible rootkits: 0

Applications checks...
    All checks skipped

The system checks took: 2 minutes and 37 seconds

All results have been written to the log file: /var/log/rkhunter/rkhunter.log

One or more warnings have been found while checking the system.
Please check the log file (/var/log/rkhunter/rkhunter.log)

kevinthefixer · #11 Post by **kevinthefixer** » 2018-12-21 02:01

noviceDebian wrote:Does Debian have any built-in backdoors, etc?

Any OS is going to have such. The only way to achieve a 100% secure system is to take it completely offline, remove all wireless devices and unplug the wired ones. But hacking into a Linux system is difficult, usually doesn't happen because it's too much work for each individual system to be hacked. Hack a Windows system and the vulnerability you found might apply to millions of machines, for Linux it might be tens. Another thought: it might not be your Fedora box that has been compromised, might be your router or modem or even your ISP (although that last is unlikely). Do you have other computers, phones, tablets or ??? hooked to the same network? Any of these documents you're talking about live anywhere else but that one computer? And if you want some particular item, document, photo, whatever to be confidential, do not upload it anywhere ever. Not to your cloud storage, not even to your NAS, don't e-mail it, nothing. Millions if not billions of Facebook users (are you one?) are just now finding this out the hard way. On a related note, many criminals that thought they got away with it have been caught because their relatives had their DNA analysed.

jibberjabber · #12 Post by **jibberjabber** » 2018-12-21 03:22

Re: Security in Debian.

Postby Hallvor » 2018-12-19 03:59
If you are sure your computer is being tapped, take it offline. Then check your system for intrusion with Tripwire or similar.

Won't do any good if they are using the little chip inside, even when the PC is turned off ,it still can be accessed.

It does not matter what OS one is using, even Debian can be accessed, and if they have "Intel inside", it is even easier, this is kind of old but the point is there are many ways your home PC can be accessed , even if you never download anything, etc.
https://itsfoss.com/fact-intel-minix-case/
=================
https://www.zdnet.com/article/minix-int ... ng-system/
=======================
https://www.blackhat.com/eu-17/briefing ... ngine-8668
"

have a good night, and sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite "
=== edit ===

Postby noviceDebian » 2018-12-18 21:34

Hallvor wrote:
Are you sure you are infected? What symptoms?

Like allusions to what I typed in my off-line documents. Similar knowledge of activities on my computer, which were not related to internet or social media.

There you go, that is proof they have everything there is in your computer, and now they know everything, I don't see how installing Debian will change that. I am really sorry to hear this.

noviceDebian · #13 Post by **noviceDebian** » 2018-12-21 04:11

kevinthefixer wrote:
noviceDebian wrote:Does Debian have any built-in backdoors, etc?
Any OS is going to have such. The only way to achieve a 100% secure system is to take it completely offline, remove all wireless devices and unplug the wired ones. But hacking into a Linux system is difficult, usually doesn't happen because it's too much work for each individual system to be hacked. Hack a Windows system and the vulnerability you found might apply to millions of machines, for Linux it might be tens. Another thought: it might not be your Fedora box that has been compromised, might be your router or modem or even your ISP (although that last is unlikely). Do you have other computers, phones, tablets or ??? hooked to the same network? Any of these documents you're talking about live anywhere else but that one computer? And if you want some particular item, document, photo, whatever to be confidential, do not upload it anywhere ever. Not to your cloud storage, not even to your NAS, don't e-mail it, nothing. Millions if not billions of Facebook users (are you one?) are just now finding this out the hard way. On a related note, many criminals that thought they got away with it have been caught because their relatives had their DNA analysed.

But hacking router or modem will not allow them access to my Fedora, unless it is also compromised. I'm sure ISP is also either hacked or they are in on it. I don't have other computers but have phone, but I have never transferred those files to the smart phone. These documents are only on the computers. '

When you mean DNA, do you mean biological thing or something else. What kind of cyber crimes could have been helped by DNA and how would relatives have the DNA?

noviceDebian · #14 Post by **noviceDebian** » 2018-12-21 04:21

jibberjabber wrote:

Re: Security in Debian.

Postby Hallvor » 2018-12-19 03:59
If you are sure your computer is being tapped, take it offline. Then check your system for intrusion with Tripwire or similar.
Won't do any good if they are using the little chip inside, even when the PC is turned off ,it still can be accessed.

It does not matter what OS one is using, even Debian can be accessed, and if they have "Intel inside", it is even easier, this is kind of old but the point is there are many ways your home PC can be accessed , even if you never download anything, etc.
https://itsfoss.com/fact-intel-minix-case/
=================
https://www.zdnet.com/article/minix-int ... ng-system/
=======================
https://www.blackhat.com/eu-17/briefing ... ngine-8668
" have a good night, and sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite "
=== edit ===
Postby noviceDebian » 2018-12-18 21:34

Hallvor wrote:
Are you sure you are infected? What symptoms?
Like allusions to what I typed in my off-line documents. Similar knowledge of activities on my computer, which were not related to internet or social media.
There you go, that is proof they have everything there is in your computer, and now they know everything, I don't see how installing Debian will change that. I am really sorry to hear this.

I knew about the Intel ME, doesn't AMD also have something similar?

But that kind of hacking wouldn't be possible with everyone, even the most skilled hacker wouldn't be able to access Intel ME, only a malicious actor from state would know those things. I knew about Intel ME but knew that would be accessible to only malicious 3 letter agencies and evil eyes, but some of these suspicious things I noticed were coming from very common accounts. Redhat which maintains Fedora has recently been bought by IBM, they may introduce their custom back doors into it, so to avoid this I was considering other Linux distros.

bw123 · #15 Post by **bw123** » 2018-12-21 07:09

noviceDebian wrote:
Hallvor wrote:Are you sure you are infected? What symptoms?
Like allusions to what I typed in my off-line documents. Similar knowledge of activities on my computer, which were not related to internet or social media.

I didn't understand this. Someone alluded to something you typed into a document? They had knowledge of what activities? How did they make you aware of it?

Sounds like a movie, I guess anything is possible, but the question would be, "why?" out of the zillions of people online, why would someone spend the time to find out what you do and then tell you about it?

llivv · #16 Post by **llivv** » 2018-12-21 08:46

Hey, I'm not sure I get all of novices' meaning regarding novices' present circumstances... After all out of the zillions of us (oh wait - did I overstate the number?) there are quite a few different sets of circles....
(If I'm pushing my ideals here - just skip over to the next issue, please)
It seems that novice has an issue that is not easily described as the majority of the zillions of us just figure out ways to ignore them - since we feel powerless to free ourselves from the higher powers...

I see it as a food chain issue that we all share all the way to the top.

noviceDebian · #17 Post by **noviceDebian** » 2018-12-21 09:43

bw123 wrote:
noviceDebian wrote:
Hallvor wrote:Are you sure you are infected? What symptoms?
Like allusions to what I typed in my off-line documents. Similar knowledge of activities on my computer, which were not related to internet or social media.
I didn't understand this. Someone alluded to something you typed into a document? They had knowledge of what activities? How did they make you aware of it?

Sounds like a movie, I guess anything is possible, but the question would be, "why?" out of the zillions of people online, why would someone spend the time to find out what you do and then tell you about it?

They let me know on social media, not on Facebook(I don't use it), but YouTube and Twitter.

Answering your question about "why":

1. Power Play
2. Make a caricature of me, so what I say can be discredited

I think the reason why they let me know that they know those things would be to exert their power over me, like they are all knowing and all powerful, and they are one step ahead of me, and they best me easily and I can't escape.

I wish I could tell you about what I write but doing so might let you connect dots to my other identity.

noviceDebian · #18 Post by **noviceDebian** » 2018-12-21 09:43

llivv wrote:Hey, I'm not sure I get all of novices' meaning regarding novices' present circumstances... After all out of the zillions of us (oh wait - did I overstate the number?) there are quite a few different sets of circles....
(If I'm pushing my ideals here - just skip over to the next issue, please)
It seems that novice has an issue that is not easily described as the majority of the zillions of us just figure out ways to ignore them - since we feel powerless to free ourselves from the higher powers...

I see it as a food chain issue that we all share all the way to the top.

Thanks for your support.

noviceDebian · #19 Post by **noviceDebian** » 2018-12-21 10:53

bw123 wrote:
noviceDebian wrote:
Hallvor wrote:Are you sure you are infected? What symptoms?
Like allusions to what I typed in my off-line documents. Similar knowledge of activities on my computer, which were not related to internet or social media.
I didn't understand this. Someone alluded to something you typed into a document? They had knowledge of what activities? How did they make you aware of it?

Sounds like a movie, I guess anything is possible, but the question would be, "why?" out of the zillions of people online, why would someone spend the time to find out what you do and then tell you about it?

To give another example, some months back, I was having problems with earphones I got, the sound out of left side was not as loud as it was in the right side, I informed this to the customer care of the earphone company, since then I found that my Fedora's audio balance was being skewed towards the left side, as if to compensate for some inherent low output from the left earphone, at that time I had GNOME and it had that option, now I'm on KDE Plasma and it doesn't have such left-right balance. When I had GNOME, I never messed with the audio balance.

bw123 · #20 Post by **bw123** » 2018-12-21 18:16

llivv wrote:Hey, I'm not sure I get all of novices' meaning regarding novices' present circumstances... After all out of the zillions of us (oh wait - did I overstate the number?) there are quite a few different sets of circles....
(If I'm pushing my ideals here - just skip over to the next issue, please)
It seems that novice has an issue that is not easily described as the majority of the zillions of us just figure out ways to ignore them - since we feel powerless to free ourselves from the higher powers...

I see it as a food chain issue that we all share all the way to the top.

This is an interesting point of view. You seem to be saying that everybody is subject to having the balance on their audio set slightly left, but we ignore the problem because we are powerless to solve it? I'd answer that we need to see some evidence before assuming it is an intrusion.

I know that hacking goes on. Some people do it for fun. I used to watch people try to do it and laugh all day long at their stoopid attempts. I'd like to say every system is hack proof, but I sort of agree, nothing is. But saying we all ignore it because we are powerless to stop iit s a little extreme. Security isn't 100% but even an amateur like me can get reasonably comfortable about it. But I'm not a celebrity, and don't attract attention.

Interesting topic. Thanks for posting.

p.s. just for the record, anybody anywhere is welcome to take a stab at my system, for testing/fun only. I kiind of enjoy the challenge. Tell me one filename that contains the word "simultaneously" on my computer?