Minix, Intel's operating system inside our computers.

tweeter

Am not a techy, but I installed Linux Mint on my partners desktop some years ago, as my partner only does browsing and sending emails, but can't deal with anti virus etc. I don't know how with my very limited experience, I'm ever going to sure, my partners desktop is going to be secure in the future, as I'm led to believe rightly or wrongly, that hackers in the future, will somehow gain entry to this setup as well.


"MINIX is running on “Ring -3” (that’s “negative 3”) on its own CPU. A CPU that you, the user/owner of the machine, have no access to. The lowest “Ring” you have any real access to is “Ring 0,” which is where the kernel of your OS (the one that you actually chose to use, such as Linux) resides. Most user applications take place in “Ring 3” (without the negative).!
The first thing that jumps out at me here: This means MINIX (specifically a version of MINIX 3) is in all likelihood the most popular OS shipping today on modern Intel-based computers (desktops, laptops and servers). That, right there, is absolutely crazy.!
The second thing to make my head explode: You have zero access to “Ring -3” / MINIX. But MINIX has total and complete access to the entirety of your computer. All of it. It knows all and sees all, which presents a huge security risk — especially if MINIX, on that super-secret Ring -3 CPU, is running many services and isn’t updated regularly with security patches."


clicky

Neil_Jones

Realistically the only 100% secure way to guarantee you do not get "hacked" or anything like that is not go on the internet. That being said you are probably more likely to win the lottery twice over than be "hacked" in the media sense of the word.

When you read the reports on the media of websites being hacked, it basically means somebody broke in to somewhere "valuable" (ie names, addresses, email addresses, potentially bank/card information etc) and took a copy of that information, then stuck it on various websites or sold it.

However you being "hacked" personally like this is fruitless because you are told from day one from anybody who knows about this stuff not to keep bank and card details on the machine in plain form. Therefore the only information available if your connection is personally hacked is what browser you're using and the software on the machine. That's mostly it. Useless to somebody who wants to empty your bank account.

tweeter

I was just pointing out, that my 65 year old partner, like many other people, was forgetful of security when using Windows. So I've tried to be helpful as they say.

were

For the really paranoid you would use a boot CD running TAILS.

For something not as secure but also runs from a bootable cd is Puppy Linux which is small fast and has loads of features including word processing.

Ssince you can not modify or store data on the cd makes them fairly secure.

Personally they are bit too extreme and unworkable for my liking

Neil_Jones

I think there's a chance of becoming too worried about this sort of stuff, to the point where nobody will want to turn their computers on. That's impractical and to be honest, complete overkill. Cars are dangerous if used irresponsibly but we don't not go out just because we "might" run somebody over. Likewise we shouldn't not go online just because we "might" meet somebody in a Guy Fawkes mask on the other end of the connection.

unforeseen

Minix is what makes it possible to run Linux and Windows on Pcs. It is the built-in operating system of your CPU l for x86 and ARM cpus. It deals with the basic things such as pulling data into memory from the hard drive and then getting the CPU to run it thus enabling your pc to boot. This is what is normally called the microcode and is updated on bios updates. So the only way to compromise your pc is if YOU run a rogue bios update on your pc.

Minix stands for MIni uNIX.

It can also be installed as an operating system in its own right.

See http://wiki.minix3.org/doku.php?id=www:documentation:start for more info.

agrinnall

tweeter wrote: »

..but can't deal with anti virus etc.

Why can't they "deal with anti virus"? Just because they are 65 doesn't make them stupid, and in fact AV doesn't take a lot of "dealing with" anyway.

pmduk

agrinnall wrote: »

Why can't they "deal with anti virus"? Just because they are 65 doesn't make them stupid, and in fact AV doesn't take a lot of "dealing with" anyway.

As above, most AV programmes are install and forget

onomatopoeia99

I studied MINIX at university in about 1990, and still have Tanenbaum's book about it.

Nice to see a mention of rings (as in code protection levels) on here, not too many people know about them. Somewhere around I've still got the code we wrote that could force a windows application into ring 0 through a call gate (DOS kernel only, doesn't work on the NT kernel)

unforeseen

onomatopoeia99 wrote: »

I studied MINIX at university in about 1990, and still have Tanenbaum's book about it.

Nice to see a mention of rings (as in code protection levels) on here, not too many people know about them. Somewhere around I've still got the code we wrote that could force a windows application into ring 0 through a call gate (DOS kernel only, doesn't work on the NT kernel)

Nice bit of scare mongering in that article, probably by somebody that doesn't really understand it's purpose

tweeter

agrinnall wrote: »

Why can't they "deal with anti virus"? Just because they are 65 doesn't make them stupid, and in fact AV doesn't take a lot of "dealing with" anyway.

What I alluded to was that my partner was forgetful when browsing and unfortunately clicked links in emails sometimes when he was using Windows in the past.