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[+] -30 points 3 months ago (19 children)

It's baked into a ton of hardware updates these days. Trust me, in 5-10 years it'll be a big deal if we don't do something about it..like yesterday.

Also, OS doesn't matter if it's a bios update.

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  • [โ€“] 64 points 3 months ago* (18 children)

    That's...not how device firmware works.

    You're not going to get adware drivers on a Linux system unless you're using stuff that's supremely sketchy and also installing things you shouldn't be. What you're thinking of is 3rd party windows drivers.

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  • [+] -27 points 3 months ago (11 children)

    Also, If your motherboard installs something through a bios update, that has nothing to do with your OS. It comes before.

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  • [โ€“] 32 points 3 months ago (9 children)

    Please point out the bios deployed adware you are talking about, or I'll have to assume you're just talking from vibes.

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  • [โ€“] 3 points 3 months ago (2 children)

    Lenovo had spyware baked into the chips that would reinstall itself if it was removed from the OS. It was a big thing.

    Although I believe that was just for Windows. But the functionality exists for them to do it to Linux if they decide to.

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  • [โ€“] 9 points 3 months ago

    Multiple (most?) motherboard manufacturers have options to install drivers and software from the BIOS. So you don't have to go download it elsewhere just to get your system up and running.

    That setting can be turned off. In fact they usually turn themselves off after the first boot because otherwise it would prompt every time.

    But, you're referencing Lenovo, a full system integrator, not a separate hardware company. Of course the system integrators bundle shit, that's not new at all. They've done that for decades.

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  • [+] -11 points 3 months ago (5 children)
  • [+] -19 points 3 months ago (4 children)

    Thank you, I'm too drunk to argue with this nerd ;)

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  • [โ€“] 18 points 3 months ago (2 children)

    well, that article disagrees with you though. That "feature" is only going to do anything to Windows installations.

    Also, OS doesn't matter if it's a bios update.

    The ASUS UEFI firmware exposes an ACPI table to Windows 10, called "WPBT" or "Windows Platform Binary Table". WPBT is used in the pre-built OEM industry, and is referred to as "the Vendor's Rootkit." Put simply, it is a script that makes Windows copy data from the BIOS to the System32 folder on the machine and execute it during Windows startup - every single time the system is booted.

    also, https://github.com/Jamesits/dropWPBT

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  • [โ€“] 4 points 3 months ago*

    That not how that shit is done.

    The BIOS just take care of the basics, but Windows do have an API allowing the BIOS to ask for the installation of additional drivers. That process was abused (and continue to be) by multiple hardware vendors to install spywares or adwares.
    Linux doesn't have that API, and just ignore such requests.

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  • [+] -27 points 3 months ago (5 children)

    Android runs on Linux, wouldn't you agree that Android is compromised?

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  • [โ€“] 23 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

    Android depends on who gave it to you. If you install Linux from a parking lot flash drive it doesn't mean the Linux project is compromised, it means you got pwned.

    I'd make the same argument about installing pre-compromised pirated windows but...windows kinda just is malware now.

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  • [โ€“] 3 points 3 months ago

    It's actually scary how wrong you are while being so confident. It's not even just wrong but also so incredibly dumb. Doesn't matter if you're drunk or not, you're clearly an ignorant fucking idiot.

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