Due to major operating system problems I am accessing the web using a live pendrive. The problem is that the pendrive OS and browser are years old. My question is: Am I safe when undertaking online banking, shopping, using PayPay, e-bay, etc? Will my financial transactions be safe and secure? I use kubuntu. The pendrive is using version 12 (current version 16) Thanks
Yes if you take all precautions like making sure your on the correct website as I'm not sure if you have any protection from Phishing sites with the pen-drive OS? And most sites like the ones you mentioned are secure sites on there end (SSL) and your connected to your home Router and not Hot-spots like in Internet Cafe's and such. HTH, Daniel
Thank you. I note that when I visit some sites using the old OS and browser that I receive a message telling me that my browser is old, insecure, and needs updating. If they have secure sites, what could be the problem?
An older browser may have known vulnerabilities, possibly including one that can be exploited despite the fact that you are connecting to a well-secured site. An older browser may not support newer more secure protocols/features, in which case the negotiated connection with the website may not be as secure as it could be. An older browser might have bugs that result in incorrect website operation. Also, web developers tend to want to develop to current web standards and browsers (useful new features, fewer combinations to test) and people keeping current makes their job easier.
Do you agree with Triple Helix that banking, PayPal, shopping, etc. are safe with older browsers and OS's
There were conditionals in his reply that indicated he was speaking to narrower scenarios. I was speaking to broader scenarios. What matters to you is your scenario, and also what you consider "safe enough" for all the things you are really doing. If you wanted to you could research your software versions and any known vulnerabilities/shortcomings, look at the sites you visit and determine what issues could apply given your software configuration and how those sites are implemented (don't forget about the third-party sites you might be put in contact with, and the fact that websites can change at any time), etc. On the other hand, since few people enjoy that type of work and newer versions of software often have some security/privacy/reliability improvements, it might make more sense to consider updating your setup.
No. If your OS and browser have many holes you might not be safe. But taking into account that you are not using Windows you are not an easy target. Why don't you get a new distribution or why don't you update it? Most of them can be installed in a USB stick
Thank you for responding. If I am connecting to a secure site (https) does it matter if the OS and browser are dated since communication both ways is encrypted?
It takes about 15 minutes to create a new stick with everything current and "tested". Can't envision it wouldn't be time well spent. You might learn something and have some fun during the process. If you didn't care you wouldn't be here posting!
There are a few things to consider. If your browser is old, it is vulnerable to attacks as long as you visit websites that do such things. If you only go directly to, say, "mybank.gov", then there should be no problem. However, it's possible that the bank website is compromised and will grab your credentials or try to infect you, and so it's advised that you install Firejail in this USB and run Firefox through it with the command firejail --private firefox -no-remote, this way it can't touch the OS, only the browser. Firejailing the browser should be standard. I strongly recommend you to use a few addons in your browser. My favorites are: NoScript, RequestPolicy, Https-Everywhere (use their Observatorium, it's really cool), and uBlock Origin configured to block remote images larger then 0KB, to block remote fonts, to prevent WEBRCT from leaking local IP Adresses, and every block list enable besides the regional stuff. You could as well download the Tor Browser, extract it, and run it. Another thing to consider is the Firewall. The OS being old doesn't matter too much, as long as you configure it correctly in this regard. You could take a look here for a simple INPUT protection and full output open Firewall in a manual configuration manner. GUFW/UFW are good two and very useful, don't hesitate to use them. Other than that, I'd suggest just upgrading the OS and keep it secure. Or unplug your HD and run a LiveCD from an actual CD/DVD.
when you say private firefox, what do you mean? my sisters fully updated kubuntu with it's version of FF got hit this morning by a ransomeware fake alert that locked up the browser and had to shut down to get out of it.
Look up Firejail. Again? What the heck is she doing with that browser? And why haven't you protected it yet?
I tried installing chrome and opera and had no success. I think it was chrome is only for 64 bit now and her old pc is 32. I looked at firejail a bit earlier today but that is as far as I got.
