I have a 2-3 - year-old Windows 10 PC and Windows has never touched the Internet.
I use a Linux guest which does use the internet.
I'm a bit confused about what to do about Spectre/Meltdown.
I don't want to apply a patch to Windows since it has not been updated since I bought the PC. The lack of updates would probably choke Windows or else take several weeks to complete. In any case, I'd rather not let Windows go online.
OTOH, I routinely use the Linux guest online and it is kept up-to-date with all the latest patches. The browser has been patched as well.
Question: Given that the Windows 10 host has never been online, and my plan is never to have it go online, is my Linux guest -- which does go online -- safe?
Spectre/Meltdown vulnerability on offline host / online guest
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socratis
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- Posts: 27329
- Joined: 22. Oct 2010, 11:03
- Primary OS: Mac OS X other
- VBox Version: PUEL
- Guest OSses: Win(*>98), Linux*, OSX>10.5
- Location: Greece
Re: Spectre/Meltdown vulnerability on offline host / online guest
How does your Linux guest use the network, and not your host? It's doable, but I want to know your exact setup... For example, do you use your NIC in Bridged mode? Have you disabled the bindings on the host?
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If you obfuscate any information requested, I will obfuscate my response. These are virtual UUIDs, not real ones.
Re: Spectre/Meltdown vulnerability on offline host / online guest
These are the notes I took on what I did:
Win 10
- Start
- Network Connections
- Ethernet Adapter
- Properties
- Deselect everything but the VM bridging
VM Guest
- Settings
- Network
- Set to Bridged (default is NAT)
Win 10
- Start
- Network Connections
- Ethernet Adapter
- Properties
- Deselect everything but the VM bridging
VM Guest
- Settings
- Network
- Set to Bridged (default is NAT)
-
socratis
- Site Moderator
- Posts: 27329
- Joined: 22. Oct 2010, 11:03
- Primary OS: Mac OS X other
- VBox Version: PUEL
- Guest OSses: Win(*>98), Linux*, OSX>10.5
- Location: Greece
Re: Spectre/Meltdown vulnerability on offline host / online guest
Excellent! That's exactly what I had in mind, the Bridged mode in the guest and the disabled bindings in the host. Kudos!fleewin10 wrote:These are the notes I took on what I did:
Nobody can back up a statement like that at 100%, but with reasonable confidence, I would say that the safety of your guest is a more than safe bet.fleewin10 wrote:is my Linux guest -- which does go online -- safe?
Do NOT send me Personal Messages (PMs) for troubleshooting, they are simply deleted.
Do NOT reply with the "QUOTE" button, please use the "POST REPLY", at the bottom of the form.
If you obfuscate any information requested, I will obfuscate my response. These are virtual UUIDs, not real ones.
Do NOT reply with the "QUOTE" button, please use the "POST REPLY", at the bottom of the form.
If you obfuscate any information requested, I will obfuscate my response. These are virtual UUIDs, not real ones.
Re: Spectre/Meltdown vulnerability on offline host / online guest
socratis wrote:Nobody can back up a statement like that at 100%, but with reasonable confidence, I would say that the safety of your guest is a more than safe bet.fleewin10 wrote:is my Linux guest -- which does go online -- safe?
Exactly what I needed to know, thanks.