Linux Mint Live safer for home banking? (2024)

modus-modus wrote: ⤴Mon Feb 19, 2024 10:38 amCould using a non-persistent Linux Mint Live be safer for using home banking?

Not safer. Software should be updated continuously security wise.

If you want something that is up to date but the system is secure against ANY changes (like malicious programs being installed etc.), an immutable distribution may be just what you want!?

If „immutable“ is new to you, there are many good videos on YouTube covering that topic (the pros and cons).

In short: you as a user and actually NO ONE can write anything to the root system. Only your personal files in the home directory are accessible (not only by you in the worst case). Since no one can make any changes to the system, no one can install anything on there. It’s completely locked. So no malicious programs like key loggers etc. Programs are being installed on a separat „layer“ and not to the root system. Keep in mind, that this does not provide 100% security.

As t42 said, just using a live environment is not actually safer.

How you get better results when searching for yourself.

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modus-modus wrote: ⤴Tue Feb 20, 2024 11:03 amThe risk of a man in the middle attack is a little less because I only connect from home.

It is interesting to know how connecting from home may defend from DNS spoofing. Unless you are using DNSSEC, reliable DNS servers and encrypted DNS queries.

modus-modus wrote: ⤴Tue Feb 20, 2024 11:42 amYou're right, that's why I was asking if Mint is safer than Windows with a security suite installed.

I would say that yes, it is. As you say, nothing is 100% secure. But Linux is inherently more secure than Windows is. If you want to know more about the resons, this seems like a decent article: https://www.pcworld.com/article/508291/ ... ndows.html

Don't worry about your English, by the way. Your messages are easy to read and understand.

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modus-modus wrote: ⤴Tue Feb 20, 2024 11:03 amI mainly fear credential theft, perhaps via keylogger. The risk of a man in the middle attack is a little less because I only connect from home. With Windows I installed Avast which starts an isolated home banking mode which should prevent credential theft and protect against Keyloggers, at least that's what they say. Perhaps having always used Windows, on which I have installed a security suite, I feel, perhaps mistakenly, safer than Linux without antivirus. Maybe it's the opposite but habits are hard to break
sorry for the English but I use google translate because I don't know the language

The Mint built-in firewall is effective with the default settings. At home, if you use a router then it also contains a firewall which is very effective, giving double protection. Even if you're away from home and using a free wifi connection, your bank (and by far most other websites) uses https for all communications which encrypts everything with military grade encryption. If your bank doesn't use https it's time to find another bank! Man-in-the-middle attacks are ineffective if https is used.

All this is independent of the OS used, but Linux in general is much more secure than Windows and, while not immune to malware, the incidence is so rare that very few users even bother with malware detection apps.

A good paid no-log, not free, VPN is a good idea. Keeps your ISP and others from snooping on what you're doing online. Mine (I use PIA) is always engaged except when I run into a service like Youtube TV that won't work with it. Your ISP can log which sites you connect to and can sell the info. With a VPN they can't and everything you do online is encrypted between your device and the VPN server.

modus-modus wrote: ⤴Tue Feb 20, 2024 11:03 amPerhaps having always used Windows, on which I have installed a security suite, I feel, perhaps mistakenly, safer than Linux without antivirus. Maybe it's the opposite but habits are hard to break

I felt the same way 10 years ago when I switched to Linux. And here I am, still on Linux, and still doing all my financials on Linux. Your anxiousness will go away eventually. You are safer on Linux than on Windows. Relax.

>> Just make sure to keep both your system and your browser up to date. <<

Actually you should be able to make a boot stick persistent. Then you can get it updated.

It's not such a bad idea to do all your financial transactions from a USB boot stick. Do all your financial transactions with it, and don't do them with any other machine.

The thing is that Linux has nothing to do with that approach. It's just as valid with Windows.

Hoser Rob wrote: ⤴Thu Mar 07, 2024 11:39 amActually you should be able to make a boot stick persistent. Then you can get it updated.

It's not such a bad idea to do all your financial transactions from a USB boot stick. Do all your financial transactions with it, and don't do them with any

In your opinion, is there a persistent live Linux distribution that is preferable to use only for home banking? or is any distro fine?

Normally, when credentials are exposed, it is done by hacking into an organisations server.
If they are not stored absolutely securely, all sorts of information gets leaked.

Obviously, it is much more efficient to attack the server and get a million passwords then it is to attack a million PC's.
Presumably, a bank would be a very hard target.

Make sure that you don't use the same password for multiple organisations!
If you get a link in any email which you can click on - to save you the bother of signing on - don't do it!
If you need to signon to your bank, do it the long way.

axisofevil wrote: ⤴Thu Mar 07, 2024 6:10 pmMake sure that you don't use the same password for multiple organisations!

Quoted for truth. If you're going to stick with only one security rule, make it this one.

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visit Steve Gibson's website and see how your browser fares.

https://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2

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Moem wrote: ⤴Thu Mar 07, 2024 6:29 pm

axisofevil wrote: ⤴Thu Mar 07, 2024 6:10 pmMake sure that you don't use the same password for multiple organisations!

Quoted for truth. If you're going to stick with only one security rule, make it this one.

I always use different passwords automatically generated by password managers and email address aliases for less important sites