Security Gain Admin Privileges To a Windows Machine By Plugging In a Razer Mouse

[J65nko]

See https://it.slashdot.org/story/21/08/...-a-razer-mouse

A summary is provided by the following comment: https://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?...5&cid=61721859

[IdOp]

Earlier tonight I blew away Windows 10 on a new computer. While pulling the trigger I remembered this thread and smiled.

[frcc]

I don't know why Windows (Tm) is used on such a scale considering its horrific security issues and history, not to mention the cost. I understand convenience trumps (no-pun intended) security in many minds, but at some point there has to be an awakening! I usually ignore these types of posts, but sometimes you just gotta chime in.

[sacerdos_daemonis]

The awakening would be realising there are alternatives. A few people are aware of Apple, but most people think Microsoft is the only operating system. Poor security is the price to pay for the only system.

[victorvas]

Originally Posted by frcc

I don't know why Windows (Tm) is used on such a scale considering its horrific security issues and history, not to mention the cost. I understand convenience trumps (no-pun intended) security in many minds, but at some point there has to be an awakening! I usually ignore these types of posts, but sometimes you just gotta chime in.

Windows is not so convenient at all. Video games are one of main reasons people use Windows. It's hard to understand how could anyone waste their time on useless video games, but apparently gaming addiction is severe these days. Razer is a gaming mouse after all.
I saw a video about the "greatness" of Windows 11. Looks as much inconvenient as an OS can possibly be.

[LeFrettchen]

I disagree with that.

Windows is convenient and friendly for most of the users, especially with people who don't really know computers, when BSDs and Linux are not friendly at all, and way more complicated for someone who never used a terminal.
And since a very large majority of customers does not know how to use a terminal...

Remember : one needs to learn BSDs/Linux to use them, but one does not need to learn Windows to use it !

[Sehnsucht94]

Originally Posted by LeFrettchen

BSDs and Linux are not friendly at all, and way more complicated for someone who never used a terminal.
And since a very large majority of customers does not know how to use a terminal...

Remember : one needs to learn BSDs/Linux to use them, but one does not need to learn Windows to use it !

I concur with you. Tech fora are full of people who'd tenaciously repeat Unix (but macOS) hasn't gained a wider adoption in the desktop market only because it doesn't come pre-installed on devices, but that's just a half truth.

I think those users are probably underestimating the fact that, due to their experience, their curiosity or their CS background, they are now factually taking many things for granted (like fixing small problems, performing little hacks, configuring services, programs and peripherals, managing and upgrading system, customizing the UI, looking up documentation). These things won't take much time (actually less than having struggle to with the Windows nonsense, for a power-user) as long as you know how to deal with them already.

Fact is until somebody won't gather enough manpower and invest enough money to create a Linux/BSD desktop which doesn't require the user to ever touch the command line or edit config files at all (if not exceptionally), and comes preinstalled on devices at an affordable and competitive price, chances are really low for people to be comfortable with Linux.

I've seen many people, even young students involved in sciences (engineering, physics, even CS), switching back to Windows after multiple attempts, for this very same reason. Time is precious, and nobody understandably wants to invest theirs in learning bash scripting if not required to do so or moved by a sincere interest towards Unix itself and opensource.

The Major Linux Problems on the Desktop, 2021 edition brief on altervista imho pretty much summarizes where Linux still falls short for the average user. I won't speak about BSD on the desktop (like, even providing hardware were 100% supported and all the required software were available in repo, I really can't fancy out a casual user keen to deal with man pages and configuration files, without any sort of GUI utility to manage system at hand, nor a graphical network manager).



Ubuntu is still not in the shape to catch up with those issues: an extremely slow, counterintuitive, and resource-hungry desktop (why is GNOME3 still a thing?), resembling a mobile OS launcher, with tons of useless background services enabled by default and not required by 90% of users, buggy GUI management tools, a lot of stuff hidden by layers of abstraction, rough and complex workarounds meant to turn a server-oriented multi-user system into a desktop platform, which make it hard to debug problems. Problems which will almost inevitably come up, sooner or later, but often just upon installation: misbehaving wifi, touchpad, function keys, HID touch devices, printer / scanner not recognized, multi-monitor setup requiring manual messing with xrandr, poor battery life, difficulties encountered while mounting usb flash drives, unrecognized mtp devices, fans spinning up for whatever reason, laptop not resuming or panicking after suspend.


Also good luck getting professional assistance for a PC with Linux installed, and good luck getting help on either a 'user-friendly' Q&A platform like Ubuntu Forums, where a bunch of clueless self-proclaimed experts will provide the most misleading suggestions, or a 'serious' forum like LinuxQuestions, where most people will tell you to RTFM if presented with a entry-level question.

Windows is convenient and friendly for most of the users, especially with people who don't really know computers

While windows at least tend to just work (as manufactures design their hardware for and test it on Windows) and is therefore undeniably more straightforward than Linux/BSD for the casual user (though whenever problems actually arise, same situation as above, with the difference that everybody knows a tech-savy friend whom to ask for Windows help), I think that much of the comfort people experience on a Windows desktop is due to its 30 years (since Windows 3) of desktop market domination. Windows is a de facto standard. People grew up with Windows being part of their life to the point they associate the idea of a computer with it. Start button, bottom taskbar, desktop icons, file explorer, right titlebar buttons, context menu, Control panel, Windows Search, Task Manager, Notepad, Paint, Microsoft Office (and until few years ago Media Player, Internet Explorer...) everything is embedded in their mind, to the point it's become natural and again, largely taken for granted.

[Sehnsucht94]

Originally Posted by sacerdos_daemonis

The awakening would be realising there are alternatives. A few people are aware of Apple, but most people think Microsoft is the only operating system. Poor security is the price to pay for the only system.

TBH Windows predated Linux in the adoption of several hardening practices. I dare question the idea its security model being flawed by design. I mean, if FOSS Unix had the largest desktop share, all evil-doers would start targeting it and looking for exploits. If proprietary software were to be designed to run on Unix instead of Windows, than it would be natural to think an equivalent LPE bug might as well arise on the Unix land. Think about downloading malicious executables masked as pirated proprietary software, think about those executables asking for root privileges and users ingenuously granting them with a gksu prompt or even a click.
Also, worth mentioning here this recent article I came across few days ago, discussing Linux (In)security

[frcc]

https://www.reuters.com/technology/e...&web_view=true

[Trihex]

To my right is the deadly Razer Death Adder Windows Butt Biter USB Mouse.

In my wallet, by my butt, are the commands for a bomb.bat Windows file.

It's a good thing I don't have a Windows machine.