This is exactly why I use Linux. There is nothing subversive going on behind the scenes. My system trusts that I know what I'm doing and that's why I like it.
Also on Windows, the first thing I do is disable the Windows Defender. And believe it or not, I haven't had any viruses for as long as I can remember using computers.
On the other hand, half a year ago I've investigated a compromised macOS system at work where the user clicked a wrong button on some innocently looking dialog and ended up with a rogue extension in Google Chrome which was not possible to uninstall. Why didn't SIP prevent that from happening?
> On the other hand, half a year ago I've investigated a compromised macOS system at work where the user clicked a wrong button on some innocently looking dialog and ended up with a rogue extension in Google Chrome which was not possible to uninstall. Why didn't SIP prevent that from happening?
Because a Chrome extension is not part of the system. The clue is in the name, System Integrity Protection. Were Chrome extensions something that interacted withe kernel, or other system functions, you'd have a point. Arguably XProtect could've kicked in, but now would expect the software running the extension to have reasonable protection agains that sort of thing.
> Also on Windows, the first thing I do is disable the Windows Defender. And believe it or not, I haven't had any viruses for as long as I can remember using computers.
I have a Windows 10 (windows 7 -> 10 upgrade) machine with 10+ years operation, Windows Defender has never caught or warned me about anything.
So either:
1. I never downloaded malware
2. Windows Defender is useless and doesn't catch anything.
Well, you can easily find out if it's detected anything by checking it's history, as opposed to having no idea if you have any malware whatsoever - which is what you're advocating for with this stance.
So if I’m a soldier in Ukraine, you’re suggesting I check my bullet proof flak jacket to see if there are any bullet or shrapnel impacts, and if not I should ditch it?
Also on Windows, the first thing I do is disable the Windows Defender. And believe it or not, I haven't had any viruses for as long as I can remember using computers.
On the other hand, half a year ago I've investigated a compromised macOS system at work where the user clicked a wrong button on some innocently looking dialog and ended up with a rogue extension in Google Chrome which was not possible to uninstall. Why didn't SIP prevent that from happening?