Microsoft People Control People From Within ('Secure' Boot and BSOD)
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BGR ☛ LogoFAIL firmware attack could affect almost every Windows and Linux device [Matthew J Garrett was wrong]
Researchers have created a firmware attack that can affect almost every Windows or Linux device. The attack is known as LogoFAIL, and it is exceptionally easy to carry out and could leave both enterprise and consumer devices susceptible to bad actors.
The attack is especially devious because it can, in many cases, be remotely executed in post-exploit situations using techniques that are almost impossible for traditional endpoint security products to pick up on. The exploit also runs during the earliest stages of the boot process, allowing the bad actors to bypass several of the operating system’s built-in defenses.
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Major security flaw LogoFAIL discovered in almost every Windows & Linux device [Ed: And this is what happens to Linux when someone who has no background or qualifications in Computer Science claims to do "security"]
Security researchers have discovered a serious exploit in the UEFI dubbed LogoFAIL that could affect every Windows and Linux device.
Users running Windows or Linux are vulnerable to a new type of firmware attack, according to security researchers at Binarly.
This issue affects machines from almost every manufacturer and vendor and is very difficult to avoid or even detect.
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TechRadar ☛ Pretty much all Windows and Linux computers are vulnerable to this new cyberattack
Cybersecurity researchers from Binarly have found a flaw that they claim affects virtually every Windows and Linux-powered machine in use today.
The flaw, dubbed LogoFAIL, allows threat actors to execute malicious code on the endpoint in a way that renders practically every antivirus or endpoint protection tool out there - useless.
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TechRepublic ☛ Widespread Windows and Linux Vulnerabilities Could Let Attackers Sneak in Malicious Code Before Boot [Ed: Failing to name the real culprit here. Microsoft-controlled site with Microsoft operative as authors.]
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XDA ☛ Linux users will soon get BSOD errors on boot failures [Ed: Microsoft employees attacking Linux from the inside, turning it into another unreliable Windows]
Linux users will soon get Blue Screen Death (BSOD) when there is a boot failure, just as you may've seen in Windows.
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PC Mag ☛ Linux to Adopt 'Blue Screen of Death' Crash Messages [Ed: This is the work of Microsoft employees, who are making GNU/Linux less reliable and dependable. Did someone actually ask for this? It is worth noting that The Verge ☛ Microsofters inside the media are having a field day with this. Their Microsoft friends entertain them from within Linux.]
Update
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The screen you least (most?) want to see is coming to Linux [Ed: Microsofters vandalising Linux]
The Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) is an ancient computing rite of passage, recounted from father to daughter to grandchild. To encounter one on a device you own is a throwing down of the gauntlet: ‘you messed up, here’s some indecipherable error code: what are you going to do about it?’
And yes, yes, it is fun to spot them in the wild, thanks, Ars Technica. Point and laugh. Get the sysadmin out of bed. Hahaha. Ha. But no, this is tech journalism! This is serious business!
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Now Linux Users Can Experience BSODs Just Like Windows, Why That's A Good Thing [Ed: Microsofters controlling the direction of Linux via systemd is not good at all]
The Blue Screen of Death can be a handy troubleshooting feature to tell you what went wrong with your system when it crashes. On Windows, these “screens of death” can give vital information like error codes so users can diagnose catastrophic system failures immediately. Without it, users and IT professionals have to dig into error logs to find out what caused a system to crash, and in the worst-case scenario that means pulling the drive to access those logs on another machine.
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The Blue Screen of Death Comes to Linux, Thanks to Systemd [Ed: systemd showing its true colours once again]
Over the years, the Blue-Screen-Of-Death has become synonymous with the popular Windows operating system that uses a blue-colored page to show users when any major error has occurred.
On many occasions, I have also run into seemingly random issues that would cause a BSOD on Windows, sometimes the shown error codes are helpful, and more often than not, these codes just leave me more confused.
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Windows-Style Blue Screen of Death Coming to Linux [Ed: Microsofers inside Linux expect it to become less stable. Self-fulfilling prophecies?]
The blue screen of death was made infamous by Microsoft Windows. The screen appeared when the OS experienced a major error, but the messages and information included were notoriously unhelpful.
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Linux Blue Screen of Death gives users a taste of the dreaded Windows feature [Ed: Promoted by Microsoft in a Microsoft platform, this is not about improving Linux]
Linux users are set to get their own version of the dreaded Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) as part of a new update to the operating system.
The latest release of systemd for Linux will now generate the error message across a number of distributions, Phoronix reported yesterday. Systemd is a software suite used in a number of Linux operating systems, including Ubuntu, Red Hat, Debian, and Fedora.
Dubbed ‘systemd-bsod’, the new component will be displayed in the event that a user has a “LOG-EMERG” emergency condition.
This is intended specifically to alert users in the case of a boot failure, and was developed as part of Outreachy 2023, an open source development internship scheme, according to Phoronix.
Later coverage:
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Legacy tech gets a boost with Windows Notepad and Linux upgrades
Although still in the experimental phase, the systemd-bsod feature is noted in a GitHub changelog as “subject to change.” But given systemd’s integral role in many Linux distributions like Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian, and Red Hat, this BSOD feature is expected to be widely adopted in Linux distributions by 2024.
On the Windows side, there aren’t any significant updates to the BSOD. Microsoft has made various changes to the BSOD over the years, such as adding a sad face in Windows 8 and QR codes in 2016. The BSOD color was briefly changed to black in Windows 11 but was reverted after the OS’s release in 2021.
Still going on about it:
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Linux gets a Blue Screen of Death
Until now, the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) was a "trademark" of Windows, which will also find its way into Linux distributions in the future. This is because the system service collection "systemd", which is currently part of a number of Linux distributions, will get a "systemd-bsod" component in version 255, which is still marked as experimental.
Like its Windows counterpart, the Linux version of the blue screen will also display full-screen error messages with a QR code in the event of serious system errors. Instead of having to dig through the system's log files to find an error, Linux newcomers receive direct feedback via the blue screen.
The look of the Linux version of the "Blue Screen" remains unknown. On GitHub, the systemd developers write: "A new "systemd-bsod" component has been added that can display logged error messages in full screen size [...]. This component is experimental and its public interface is subject to change."
Microsfters still having a go at it:
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Iconic Microsoft Windows feature finally comes to Linux... the Blue Screen of Death
Earlier this year, Linux hit its highest market share in decades, and even though that meant only 3% of PCs were rocking the open-source operating system, it was still something to celebrate for Team Penguin. Linux will probably never reach the same height as Microsoft Windows or even Apple's macOS (though it is more popular with PC gamers). Still, the long-standing OS will continue to receive updates and improvements for the foreseeable future.
Very late coverage:
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Hundreds of Consumer and Enterprise Devices Vulnerable to LogoFAIL
LogoFAIL is a collection of vulnerabilities that have been around for years and attack both GNU/Linux and Windows