this post was submitted on 21 Aug 2024
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Linux

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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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“Something has gone seriously wrong,” dual-boot systems warn after Microsoft update (arstechnica.com)
submitted 3 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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Last Tuesday, loads of Linux users—many running packages released as early as this year—started reporting their devices were failing to boot. Instead, they received a cryptic error message that included the phrase: “Something has gone seriously wrong.”

The cause: an update Microsoft issued as part of its monthly patch release. It was intended to close a 2-year-old vulnerability in GRUB, an open source boot loader used to start up many Linux devices. The vulnerability, with a severity rating of 8.6 out of 10, made it possible for hackers to bypass secure boot, the industry standard for ensuring that devices running Windows or other operating systems don’t load malicious firmware or software during the bootup process. CVE-2022-2601 was discovered in 2022, but for unclear reasons, Microsoft patched it only last Tuesday.

...

The reports indicate that multiple distributions, including Debian, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Zorin OS, Puppy Linux, are all affected. Microsoft has yet to acknowledge the error publicly, explain how it wasn’t detected during testing, or provide technical guidance to those affected. Company representatives didn’t respond to an email seeking answers.

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[–] [email protected] 155 points 3 months ago (2 children)

So, no booting into Windows until this is fixed then? Fine by me. Hell, might actually make me uninstall it completely and free some disk space...

[–] [email protected] 63 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Well... It's the opposite... People affected by this issue could not boot Linux...

[–] [email protected] 96 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

Right, but you have to boot into Windows first to even get the update in the first place...

[–] [email protected] 15 points 3 months ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

Woah, interesting. ~~Is that like a legal option because it looks like it doesn't ask you to provide an image or whatever? Not that I mind either way, just curious if this is prone to be deleted soon or not.~~

What's the upside of having it in a VM?

Edit: nevermin the legality, found a disclaimer at the bottom of the page.

[–] nehal3m 6 points 3 months ago

The upside is you can treat it as just another program with a big flat file that serves as it's hard disk. You can move a VM between computers, they're universal. Hell you can move it to a data center and hardly notice a difference. You can make a snapshot, try something out, and if it borks, roll it back to a previous snapshot. You can copy the VM any number of times.

Basically it decouples operating systems from hardware so you can treat a computer like software.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

Oh cool! I'll need to look into that, thanks! Wonder if there's a way to convert an existing Windows into this somehow, installed software and all, because that would be perfect...

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Not that I know of, though imaging a physical Windows install to a VM is very possible. I just kinda like the docker solution because it's fairly lightweight, but if you want a more robust solution, a VM is the way to go. There's still limitations on both solutions like gaming not really being a thing unless you get deep in the weeds with things like VFIO and Looking Glass.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

There is also the option to use two GPUs (or one and not use it for Linux). https://github.com/mr2527/pop_OS-win10-KVM-setup

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

Yah, that's the VFIO method I was referring to.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago

Ah, okey! I saw the guide and thought it looked interesting at first. But then my wallet saw two GPUs and promptly said no.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Why would anyone want to game in a VM?