Thread

Upgrade your desktop: Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS is now available

80 points · 103 comments · d99kris

bArray · 1790777875 · focus · HN ↗
> TPM-backed full-disk encryption is now generally available in the Ubuntu installer. By tying encryption to the TPM security chip, disk encryption is bound to a specific device, significantly raising the bar for physical access attacks while improving the user experience.
That's great, but they are also intending to comply with the OS-level age verification [1]. Initial implementations will somehow be privacy protecting, but eventually the temptation to tie a specific person to an OS fingerprint will become too great.
[1] <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/LinusTechTips/comments/1rk4fj7/ubuntu_is_planning_to_comply_with_age/" rel="nofollow">https://www.reddit.com/r/LinusTechTips/comments/1rk4fj7/ubun...
1. Buttons840 · 1790779220 · focus · HN ↗
  How long until I can selectively tell certain websites I'm a child so they stop showing me ads?
  They wanted the personal computer to store and report personal information. I hope they have their best surprised faces ready for when computers report what the owner wants them to report.
  1. teekert · 1790779831 · focus · HN ↗
    That is only possible when you really are the owner. And the amount of device out there in the world where people really are the owner is rather small. (Just the Linux desktops and the GrapheneOS smartphones, etc.)
    Retr0id · 1790780046 · focus · HN ↗
    You are not quite the owner on GrapheneOS either, because of Android Key Attestation (which has functionality analogous to desktop TPMs). If you re-unlock your bootloader (say, to run a custom build of GrapheneOS), attestation will snitch on you and the subset of apps that use key attestation to require a locked bootloader and/or enforce an AVB key allowlist will not work properly. This is a very small subset of apps currently, but I don't see it getting any smaller.
    kevin_thibedeau · 1790781010 · focus · HN ↗
    You can never own a device with a cellular modem. They can all provide backdoor access regardless of the primary OS.
    fsflover · 1790799419 · focus · HN ↗
    Librem 5 has a removable modem on M.2 card. Would this count?

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