North Korea's Operating System Analyzed (theguardian.com) 98
Bruce66423 points out an analysis at The Guardian of North Korea's Red Star Linux-based OS, based on a presentation Sunday to the Chaos Communication Congress in Berlin : The features of their Fedora based OS include a watermarking system to enable tracking of files — even if unopened. The operating system is not just the pale copy of western ones that many have assumed, said Florian Grunow and Niklaus Schiess of the German IT security company ERNW, who downloaded the software from a website outside North Korea and explored the code in detail. ... This latest version, written around 2013, is based on a version of Linux called Fedora and has eschewed the previous version’s Windows XP feel for Apple’s OS X – perhaps a nod to the country’s leader Kim Jong-un who, like his father, has been photographed near Macs. The OS, unsurprisingly, allowed only tightly fettered access to web sites, using a whitelist approach that gives access to government-controlled or approved sites.
Re:The only question that matters (Score:5, Funny)
Does it include systemd?
Of course not. They already have a cult leader to worship.
New era (Score:3, Funny)
In North Korea Fedora Forks You
So can the file tracking (Score:3, Interesting)
be used by citizens in "democratic/free" countries to find out if they were violate by their countries gov/spy agencies?
Re: (Score:1)
Of course. The People, through their People's deputies, can oversee their own surveillance. Welcome to Liberation!
Re: (Score:2)
The EFF?
Re: (Score:1)
Er.. there is ONE slight difference. So far anyways.. If they see something on your computer they don't like over there, they take you out and shoot you. Of course your odds are probably even worse if you're related to Kim Fat-Goon or whatever his name is, but I sure wouldn't be accessing wikileaks with that OS. Prolly can't anyways.
Re: (Score:2)
All those "democratic/free" countries are filled with citizens who could give a flying fuck about privacy
Sadly I think you're wrong there - they don't seem to care about privacy at all.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
It's actually the Democrats....they don't want you to have a car because cars cause global warming. It's all about saving the world dude!
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
No! You must take the bus! Batteries kill the environment. No car for you, public transport is where it's at.
Re: (Score:3)
The people in NK think the poor in the US are billionaires.
Re: (Score:2)
Well, since the exchange rate from USD to North Korean wons is 1:900, all we need is 1.1 million each to be a billionaire in NK.
Re: (Score:1)
... diddy dum diddy doo!
Before I knew it she was walking next to me singing ...
(I like you guys almost as much as I like apps guy and slightly less than I like cow guy.) Meh, I'll post this signed in. This karma's made for walking...
Re: (Score:2)
Come on man, don't you recognize sarcasm?
Re: (Score:2)
It has to be sarcasm. No one is that stupid.
Re: (Score:1)
You overestimate the intelligence of the homo sapien. Keep in mind that every single person that you have ever met, that is still alive, can probably find some way to access the internet - maybe while wearing a bib and a helmet. I find it easier to picture them wearing both, and a diaper.
Re: (Score:1)
Heh, no - I'm not against Facebook on the grounds of privacy. I choose to not share there because they will work really hard to monitor my use and market specifically to me. They also tie into a bunch of other sites so could then track my usage even more. I'm not opposed to Facebook, per se. I'm opposed to Facebook for me - personally. You can, if you want, make use of their services.
*sighs* Unfortunately, there is faux wood paneling in this house. I've never bothered to redecorate it - I bought it with eve
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:1)
I've searched and then followed the ads at the top of Google when I was looking for a product. I'm not actually sure but I've probably bought something from there.
Re: (Score:1)
Hah! I bought something like that to look inside engines. It was a bit more pricey at the time but it was a trivial expense. I was actually kind of shocked at how cheap it was.
I don't know as that was a targeted ad - I was looking at tools and "customers who bought ____ also bought _____" made me click something, I clicked a few more things, and then eventually I found that and bought it. I got one with a light, it works better than I'd expected it to.
Re: (Score:1)
Never use sarcasm on the internet, it is -always- misinterpreted. So you end up with people thinking that you are not clever at all...
Great opportunity (Score:2)
Wonder how the files are watermarked... (Score:5, Interesting)
TFA didn't have many details, but I wonder how the files were watermarked. Some metadata perhaps, that added atime/ctime/ and the computer's install ID?
Perhaps a modification to the filesystem to allow for alternate data streams (a la NTFS) which would have a linked list of machines the file has sat on, which would be hidden from the user, and would move with the file?
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
TFA didn't have many details, but I wonder how the files were watermarked. Some metadata perhaps, that added atime/ctime/ and the computer's install ID?
Perhaps a modification to the filesystem to allow for alternate data streams (a la NTFS) which would have a linked list of machines the file has sat on, which would be hidden from the user, and would move with the file?
Given that this is based on Fedora, I would presume that they use Red Hat's existing watermarking functionality.
Google it.
Re:Wonder how the files are watermarked... (Score:5, Informative)
See https://www.insinuator.net/2015/07/redstar-os-watermarking/
Kim Jong-un likes OS X? (Score:5, Funny)
Well, I guess that bit about "Here's to the crazy ones" carried more weight than we supposed.
Re: (Score:2)
... perhaps a nod to the country’s leader Kim Jong-un who, like his father, has been photographed near Macs.
Lemme guess - were they pointing at them?
Re:Uggggh| (Score:5, Insightful)
"The OS, unsurprisingly, allowed only tightly fettered access to web sites, using a whitelist approach that gives access to government-controlled or approved sites."
In other words-the NSA wet dream.
Are you joking?
The NSA *want* you to go to 'forbidden' websites so they can monitor your activity and use it as blackmail material.
Re: (Score:1)
Can I start my own internet law of when someone compares the most tyrannical governments in the world are compared to the US government? I'm not saying that there's nothing wrong with the US government, but these comparisons you people make do start to feel rather godwin-esque.
Re: (Score:2)
You're sort of right, but the push back against these guys needs to be non-stop.
Chaos Communication Congress... (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:3)
It's rootD
Re:lousy (Score:5, Informative)
what do you expect relying on third hand infos?
Here's to get it from the speakers themselves:
https://events.ccc.de/congress... [events.ccc.de]
https://www.reddit.com/r/north... [reddit.com]
Re: (Score:1)
Innovation (Score:5, Insightful)
In some other country somewhere, I'm sure there there will be an official looking at this and thinking Red Star OS is a very good idea.
Re: (Score:3)
Maybe we could have a Patriot Act OS version for the US. It will keep us safe from the terrorists.
Re: (Score:3)
Re:Innovation (Score:4, Insightful)
Maybe we could have a Patriot Act OS version for the US. It will keep us safe from the terrorists.
What makes you think we don't?
Re: (Score:2)
What makes you think we do? Some evidence perhaps?
Some [wikipedia.org] evidence [wikipedia.org].
Re: (Score:2)
In some other country somewhere, I'm sure there there will be an official looking at this and thinking Red Star OS is a very good idea.
If the NSA were doing the job they were supposed to be doing all along, this would be the ideal distro to target for a backdoor.
Re: (Score:1)
The OS, unsurprisingly, allowed only tightly fettered access to web sites, using a whitelist approach that gives access to government-controlled or approved sites.
so it just like in USA
The US government doesn't block website that the government doesn't like, but instead uses raids to knock them off the Internet for everybody, and/or ICE confiscates the domain name [wired.com].
What's the link? (Score:1)
The article, and the video attached... (Score:2)
It's an interesting article...but the video linked to it is by someone who is fairly clueless about Linux. As it's well know that Red Star OS is Linux, the video's creator should have at least taken the time to learn more about Linux so that he could comment competently on Red Star. Disappointing.
One question (Score:1)
Yes but its been modded so the NK's are powning the Americans
Size Matters (Score:1)
like his father, has been photographed near Big Macs. Lots of them