For example I don’t know if a cheap mini PC like the GMKtec G5 would be more likely to have firmware/driver related security flaws over a more standard PC like an older Dell Optiplex from Staples.
Maybe there is something else entirely I am overlooking. I’m not sure. Most of the complaints I’ve heard are in regards to mini PCs containing bloat and potentially malicious things installed.
Everyone in this thread focusing on malware put inside the BIOS by the manufacturer.
But the more realistic issue is just a hopelessly outdated BIOS with known vulnerabilities that won’t ever get an update.Do most motherboards receive long term support updates? I feel like I’ve only ever gotten a few updates for the ones I’ve used but maybe that was because I was buying older boards.
Server hardware does.
I think dell Rx30 are only just getting to EOL, and it was released in 2015.Although, buying an Rx30 before 5 years ago would be in the 10s of thousands.
Refurbished Rx40 and Rx50 are somewhat affordable.
There have been several cases of the default OS installation being infected with malware. I would recommend always wiping the drive and installing your own OS. Firmware is less likely to contain malware targeted at individuals (or anyone else that is irrelevant to APT’s), but it might be outdated and have unpatched vulnerabilities.
I mean… what is your threat profile? Are you a LastPass engineer with an unpatched Plex install and access to the company file server? (edit: LastPass not LinkedIn)
Are you going to do something that would attract the attention of law enforcement or nation-state threat actors?
Are you going to be using this mini PC to do your taxes?
Is it going to be in a DMZ with open access to the Internet?
Are you going to use it as an authentication server for other critical assets?
If you aren’t assessing your risk level with some realistic idea of what threats actually apply to you and weighing that against the possible consequences of a breach, then you’re pointlessly worrying about low-probability scenarios. Operational Risk Management right? Judge your risk by probability of occurrence and severity of impact and then make decisions based on that.
I’m considering getting one for surfing the web on a secondary monitor. Nothing important is occurring but I asked this question for two reasons.
- I’m a nerd who finds a lot of this neat
- It can be hard to create a threat profile if you don’t know a threat exists.
Plenty of people put some level of work into making their PC’s OS more secure using YouTube tutorials and tips but they may not think to update their BIOS for example
These questions are the correct answer
My only concern to these machines is that if theyre running an intel chip, its most likely to have intel ME which is a QOL stuff but a potential backdoor. Luckily, these cheap mini pcs has most of the time, an unlocked bios, so it is easier to pull the bios bin, patch it with intel ME removal and then reflash the patched bios.
I find the US branded ones (HP, DELL, etc.) more pain in the ass to patch the bios because most of them has locked bios. Doable but a pain in the ass for sure.
Worth noting that this stands in addition to the concerns already shared by OP.
Also, that differing generations of Intel chips yield varying degrees of “disabled ME” with the me_cleaner tools and/or HAP bit flipping. With the newer stuff being more tyrannical.
For AMD, as far as I know, there exist no such efforts like me_cleaner and users are left to simply to trust the benevolence of AMD’s vendor spec for “disabling” PSP in EFI settings. Assuming that does anything at all other than being a sugar pill.
It’s hard to tell.
You install your own windows? Do you really know if the pre-installed windows gets deleted?
You install your own linux? There is still the BIOS that could carry some unwanted “evil” software.
Then there is the possibility of unwanted “evil” hardware or firmware parts inside some of the chips…
You install your own windows? Do you really know if the pre-installed windows gets deleted?
This one seems to be easy to manage. Formatting the disc seems easy to do.
Deleting all existing partitions via the installer is already enough. Once a new partition is created, all files are essentially wiped.
Sure, repartitioning works too.
Once a new partition is created, all files are essentially wiped.
Partitioning does not wipe things.
It rewrites the partition tables, obviously, but no data elsewhere.
That’s why I said “essentially”. The data is no longer accessible by the system, which is all that’s needed to prevent malicious files from being executed.
is all that’s needed to prevent malicious files
Hmmm. So why do tools for “safe erase” even exist? ;-)
