German Government Warns Not To Use Windows 8

[hashtag 151]

According to leaked internal documents from the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) that Die Zeit obtained, IT experts figured out that Windows 8, the touch-screen enabled, super-duper, but sales-challenged Microsoft operating system is outright dangerous for data security. It allows Microsoft to control the computer remotely through a built-in backdoor. Keys to that backdoor are likely accessible to the NSA – and in an unintended ironic twist, perhaps even to the Chinese.

 

 

http://www.testosteronepit.com/home/2013/8/21/leaked-german-government-warns-key-entities-not-to-use-windo.html

 

 

This may be a problem for anyone buying a new laptop. From what I have read Windows 8 is pre-installed on all of them and cannot be removed.

[Royee 10]

Makes sense,  and sounds true it was only a matter of time before governments and laws wanted to plug in and see everyone and everything that is happening around the world and why not do it in the os !

[B0R3D 3]

You can't compromise on windows if you're into gaming and everything GUI. Best to dual boot between Linux and windows.

[Royee 10]

You can't compromise on windows if you're into gaming and everything GUI. Best to dual boot between Linux and windows.

 

Which Linux do you prefer to use?  I hear ubuntu is bad since amazon and other 3rd party apps are built in and can leak and submit data about you....

[hashtag 151]

Richard Stallman explains the problem with Ubuntu.

 

http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/ubuntu-spyware-what-to-do


Linux Mint is also out since it does not support full disk encryption, despite users requesting it for a year.

http://community.linuxmint.com/idea/view/2144

[NaDre 157]

I am not that concerned that I will become a target of surveillance. But as someone with a technical background I have to shake my head that "people in charge" still think it is a good idea to have back doors into products "just in case we ever need it".

 

It is this kind of thinking that lead to the situation described in this CERT alert:

 

https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/alerts/TA13-207A

 

The description there may not sound very alarming. But if you follow the links to the summary page by the guy who discovered the problem (Dan Farmer - famous in security circles), you may get a better appreciation:

 

http://fish2.com/ipmi/itrain-gz.html

 

The title is "IPMI: Express Train to Hell". And the last paragraph is, "In any case, good luck. We may all need it."

 

If there is back door in Windows, no matter how secure they may think this back door is, I have to think this is begging for trouble.

 

UPDATE:

 

This link by Farmer may not be that easy to find:

 

http://fish2.com/ipmi/

 

There is another line there (at the end) that caught my eye, "It's interesting to note the ubiquity of China in all of these."

[the ineffable me 1]

Linux Mint is also out since it does not support full disk encryption, despite users requesting it for a year.

 

http://community.linuxmint.com/idea/view/2144

 

 

The latest releases of Linux Mint; versions 14 & 15 do support full disk encryption, you just need to upgrade the installer before initiating the installation process, and that's dead simple:

 

1. Download and save your desired version of Linux Mint as a bootable CD or USB stick, and boot it up.
2. Open a terminal and issue the commands:

sudo apt-get remove ubiquity

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install ubiquity

sudo ubiquity  

 

The installer will now offer the option to install with full disk encryption