Usb as read-only

Hello,
my first post here :)

I would like to know if it´s possible to boot my knoppix (in a usb pen drive) as read-only. Once I finished my setup in persistence I value more my security than anything else, and so I don´t want something changed or somebody "hacking" my pen drive and changing my knoppix with malware, even not adding more to the persistent image but using my setup.

Thanks a lot.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jalb

Hello,
my first post here :)

I would like to know if it´s possible to boot my knoppix (in a usb pen drive) as read-only. Once I finished my setup in persistence I value more my security than anything else, and so I don´t want something changed or somebody "hacking" my pen drive and changing my knoppix with malware, even not adding more to the persistent image but using my setup.

Thanks a lot.

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Greetings, jalb.

SDHCs have a little tab which allow you to select read-only; I don't know about pen drives.
That would make your LiveUSB more like a LiveDVD; however, you too won't be able to change it when it's read only.

You may want to look into the efficacy of using encryption as your defense against hacking & malware.
I think that's the standard approach to the problem.
Also, you need say whether your persistence is in a separate partition or not.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by utu

Greetings, jalb.

SDHCs have a little tab which allow you to select read-only; I don't know about pen drives.
That would make your LiveUSB more like a LiveDVD; however, you too won't be able to change it when it's read only.

You may want to look into the efficacy of using encryption as your defense against hacking & malware.
I think that's the standard approach to the problem.
Also, you need say whether your persistence is in a separate partition or not.

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Thank you stu :)

Sorry, I don´t know what is SDHC.
The problem is not about encryption only (that´s not my problem, I always like to use encryption) but malware and destroying all my persistent image.
That´s why when I finished the settings in my persistent image I would like to keep it "safer".
If I choose a different partition the problem is still the same, because when I am using knoppix (and it´s not a safe s.o. avoiding new updates, etc) someone could get access and change everything.
Thanks!

Greetings again, jalb.

I sympathize with your concerns, but I think you can have it your way
if you put up with a little inconvenience here and there.

Persistence has to be read/write when it's updated.
If you have persistence on a separate partition, you can probably
move it back and forth between r/o & r/w. That's being awfully cautious
if that partition is alread encrypted.

If your use Knoppix as a Frugal install or a LiveUSB, the master KNOPPIX
file is in a compacted form that can be self-checked very easily to see if
you or anyone else has changed it. There is rarely any sense in doing
a 'hard disk install of Knoppix', you will learn to hate that.

An SDHC is a SecureDigital memory card, HC perhaps meaning High(er)
Capacity; higher than just SD, that is. Developed for digital cameras
and printers, some PCs also have an SD/SDHC adapter connected to the USB bus.
SDHCs cost less than 1$ per Gb these days in sizes appropriate to
LiveUSB usage. If you have a USB port, but not an SD/SDHX slot, then
Sony and others make an inexpensive USB-to-SD/SDHC adapter for ~$20.

That´s great stu!
But how can I move persistence to a different partition and make it work or telling knoppix where to boot?, do you mean to some hard disk inside the computer and then changing some route and making this partition read-only?. Do you think knoppix will work with encrypted read-only persistence?. I only use knoppix as live usb, never as a hard disk install.
If I use persistence normally (read/write) then it´s always changing stu, it would be hard to check it every day.
I understand about SDHC now :)
Thanks a lot.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jalb

how can I move persistence to a different partition and make it work or telling knoppix where to boot?

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As you set out to make your Knoppix LiveUSB, you have choices along the way. One choice is to have persistence on a separate (reiserfs)
partition; another choice is whether to encrypt or not. Once you have your LiveUSB it's up to you to rummage around and change things.
Maybe you can make the persistence file read-only. Your persistence will not change until you set it back to read-write. This is up to you.
Take some chances, try things out. You can always start over if something goes wrong. Cheers.

Once I finished with all my setup (as I am using my knoppix with persistance now), how can I move it?. Can I change now the "normal" persistence file to read-only and it will work as usual?.
Thanks again stu.



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wps

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jalb

Can I change now the "normal" persistence file to read-only and it will work as usual?.

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I would expect if you make persistence read-only then it won't collect any changes until you reset it to read-write.
Isn't that what you would expect? And why don't you just try it and find out?

Yes, I tried when I fninshed writing my answer but knoppix didn't let me to change the pernissions of the persistent image (root console).
Thank you anyway.