Not sure who needs to know this, but if you download and install the Windows version of Rufus, the free software for writing ISO images to USB/CD-ROM, your PC will end up with about 100 trojans.

[ireneista@adhd.irenes.space]

@briankrebs it's always nice to have measurements of that sort of thing to point people at. thanks.

[briankrebs@infosec.exchange]

@galaxis yes if you trust WindowsDefender to defend you against this attack you will be sorely mistaken. It successfully detects all the malware installed, but it acts weird and sends notifications about malware detections even though its own interface says a scan is clean.

[demon6@metalhead.club]

@briankrebs
Related:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/windows-client/windows-security/update-secure-boot-certificates

[briankrebs@infosec.exchange]

@demon6 wait, what? how is this related? I'm sincerely asking because IDK.

[david_preston@mastodon.social]

@briankrebs I tried Rufus but computer said no and I am glad

[demon6@metalhead.club]

@briankrebs Rufus can insert the updated uefi certs into windows ISO’s. It’s possible that those certs could be compromised, but that’s the additional downloads you’re seeing from what I saw in the video from @jordinki

[lunaphied@provably.online]

@briankrebs @jordinki @darfplatypus it'd be annoying to fully fake too because sandboxes tend to be kind of painful to add these things to yourself

[lunaphied@provably.online]

@jab01701mid @briankrebs ironically the official windows installer builder does support writing to USB directly but it doesn't have the customisation that Rufus offers for slipstreaming and deshittifying. But for other non-Windows ISOs? Yeah.

Though it should be noted that for awhile now a lot of images are designed such that if you mount them and copy their contents to the USB partition bare it'll work just fine and this can be done from stock Windows

[briankrebs@infosec.exchange]

@Lunaphied Okay. But how?

[butchrobot@shork.nerdmusic.net]

@briankrebs@infosec.exchange the new DiskDestroyer...

[briankrebs@infosec.exchange]

Look, compromises happen to everyone. I have received a ton of private messages asking if I'm okay. But the reality is that I stopped using Windoze a long time ago and this was a kind of one-off thing where I was trying to re-image an old system anyway (away from Windoze).

[usti@witter.cz]

@briankrebs I wonder if @torproject should know because Rufus is recommended to those who wish to install Tails from Windows:

https://tails.net/install/windows/index.en.html

[stella@mastodon.catgirl.cloud]

@briankrebs@infosec.exchange have you reported this on the rufus github repo?

[briankrebs@infosec.exchange]

@stella No. I reported it to everyone.

[stella@mastodon.catgirl.cloud]

@briankrebs@infosec.exchange …except the one place where its most likely to reach people who might be able to fix it?

[clv1@mementomori.social]

@simon @briankrebs Please what Rufus version does it apply to? The last I've used is 4.9, and the only thing it asked to download was some Secure Boot-related pieces.

[gerdesj@mastodonapp.uk]

@briankrebs

The cognoscenti don't use the term Windoze anymore - there is no need and it does age us somewhat!

Please tell us what you were attempting to install. We are all friends here and won't judge

[briankrebs@infosec.exchange]

I love all the commentary about how I'm supposedly inventing things here. Supply chain hacks or just selling one's site/brand happens. If you don't like the results too bad. Check them yourself.

[mike805@noc.social]

@briankrebs tails.net has its own copy of rufus-portable.exe

[amy@sk.girlthi.ng]

@briankrebs@infosec.exchange the scary boxes like, downloading from the MS github and checking for its own updates, which is opt in? what the hell even is this alarmist thread