Comment by IshKebab

Comment by IshKebab 2 days ago

7 replies

None of that has anything to do with curl|bash.

Be careful who you trust when installing software is a fine thing to teach. But that doesn't mean the only people you can trust are Linux distro packagers.

uecker 2 days ago

I think it has a lot to do with "curl|bash". Cut&paste a curl|bash command-line disables all inherent mechanisms and stumbling blocks that would ensure properly ensuring trust. It was basically invented to make it easy to install software by circumventing all protection a Linux distribution would traditionally provide. It also eliminates all possibility for independent verification about what was installed or done on the machine.

  • IshKebab 2 days ago

    Downloading and installing a `.deb` or `.rpm` is going to be no more secure. They can run arbitrary scripts too.

    • uecker 2 days ago

      Downloading a deb via a package manager is more secure. Downloading a deb, comparing the hash (or at least noting down the hash) would also already be more secure.

      But yes, that the run arbitrary scripts is also a known issue, but this is not the main point as most code you download will be run at some point (and ideally this needs sandboxing of applications to fix).

      • [removed] 2 days ago
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      • IshKebab 2 days ago

        > Downloading a deb via a package manager is more secure.

        Not what I meant. Getting software into 5 different distros and waiting years for it to be available to users is not really viable for most software authors.