[CentOS] OT: Possible for Malware against Windows boxes to attack Firefox on Linux?

[Lanny Marcus]

On Fri, Apr 17, 2009 at 2:07 PM, Rob Townley <rob.townley at gmail.com> wrote:
<snip>
> Remember the NeXT step days (for me, mid 90's) when a single
> executable binary file contained both intel and PowerPC/Motorola code.
>  When clicked, it would execute the intel code on the intel platform
> and the PowerPC/Motorola code on the PowerPC/Motorola platform.  I
> think it would be cool to have Portable App executables that run under
> both Linux and Windows because life would be easier, but the security
> problem would be too much of a downside -- a single binary that roots
> both Linux and Windows.

Probably all of the malware that's common today is targeted against
Windows, so that puts those of us using Linux in a better situation.
If Linux becomes more common on the Desktop, some of the bad ones will
try to have code that can attack Windows or Linux boxes, as you
described above. I rarely use Windows and only for 2 or 3
applications.
>
> It is easy to write an executable binary for Linux that ends in .exe -
> so that is don't think that is any protection at all.
>
> Clicking "Cancel" on these dialogs or X could still launch the
> executable - safest thing to do would be to kill firefox.

Hmmm. I did click "Cancel" or on the "X" in the corner, to close the
dialog boxes. If I see that happening again, now that NoScripts is
running, I will kill Firefox.
>
> Further recommend NoScript and SiteAdvisor simultaneously.  Recommend
> against wine and even more so against the Internet Explorer
> whatchamacallit for Firefox including on wine.

Will checkout "SiteAdvisor".   Very rare that we use IE here, even on
Windows. Very little trust in IE.. We are Firefox users and have the
new Google Chrome browser installed on one or 2 desktops.