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bayindirh08/01/20251 replyview on HN

> Lot of good that will do you when Linux users will curl | bash most any garbage.

Same for Windows users who zoom through UAC prompts without reading.

> The Windows NT file permission system is far more advanced (and I'm not even including AppLocker or software whitelisting).

...and much more convoluted and easy to break while most systems allow unfettered access to everywhere. On the other hand SELinux and AppArmor already provide transparent system isolation for decades now, and they are completely invisible. If you want even more security, you can install an immutable distro.

> So "app store" is the wave of the future?

App stores are capitalist versions of software repositories which are present for more than 20 years now? Plus, these repositories are generally well-vetted and observed by their maintainers.

> Most malware these days targets Linux servers. If you think chmod u+x is what is preventing your computer from catching digital AIDS I have news for you.

No, instead many sysadmins who know what they're doing are depending on a layered security system, provided by Linux kernel and its peripheries. Containers, CGroups, namespaces, SELinux/AppArmor, package integrity checks, multiple limited users (with reduced capabilities as well), UNIX file permissions, and many more.

If you think Linux only has file permissions for system security, I have news for you.


Replies

charcircuit08/02/2025

>zoom through UAC prompts without reading.

UAC is not a security boundary, so it is not relevant when talking about security.

>SELinux and AppArmor already provide transparent system isolation for decades

If they are setup and most Linux distros only limit individual apps. So a brand new app can still run wild.

>you can install an immutable distro.

Even immutable distros let people download new software off the internet and run it.

>Plus, these repositories are generally well-vetted and observed by their maintainers.

This has been shown to be false in practice due to the xz backdoor. Maintainers do not actually vet anything other than that the code is coming from the developer. Which is also what app stores do.

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