this post was submitted on 16 Oct 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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WTF? I'm automounting my home directory from an external ssd usb for ages now. What is the disaster that could happen you're referring to?
If that's the case, then you should answer the OP with how it's set up. OP is specifically asking how to do it with random drives other people hands them, not trusted drives always connected.
Auto mounting random USB sticks has never been wise. No telling what random malware they contain.
What would be the difference if it doesn't automount it, and I instead need to mount it manually?
I mean, it's a USB stick which I just plugged into my laptop and want to access.
If I don't trust it, I'm not plugging it in.
Oh sorry, guess I missed the random drives part. You're absolutely right in that regard. Also, I use fstab to setup automount, so can't help op with this.
What malware spreads automatically from just mounting the drive?
While mostly an issue on Windows computers: https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/dont-plug-it-in-how-to-prevent-a-usb-attack
So it's either using auto run to execute malicious code (not an issue in Linux), or it acts as a keyboard and sends malicious command - which would work regardless of the USB partition being mounted or not.