Snap packages have automatic updates
from possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip to linux@lemmy.ml on 21 Jul 2024 23:25
https://lemmy.zip/post/19518404

Maybe Canonical will be the next Crowdstrike

#linux

threaded - newest

pinganini@mstdn.social on 21 Jul 2024 23:30 next collapse

@possiblylinux127 ELI5 how isn't this an attack vector

possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip on 21 Jul 2024 23:49 collapse

Bad update

It isn’t a update it is inconfidence

thingsiplay@beehaw.org on 22 Jul 2024 00:11 next collapse

I don’t think the comparison with Canonical works here, because Canonical is not the one who creates / updates the packages. Plus the Snap packages are sandboxed and do not have root access.

possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip on 22 Jul 2024 02:59 collapse

Snap packages do a very poor job of sandboxing. Also snapd runs as root as in needs extra privileges to mount the loopback devices

thingsiplay@beehaw.org on 22 Jul 2024 03:45 collapse

Off course the package manager runs as root. I meant the packages itself does not. I mean every package manager for your system, including Flatpak, Apt, Pacman requires root. Snap packages are better sandboxed (on Ubuntu) than Flatpak or any other system packages.

Look, I don’t like Snaps and they were one of the reasons why I switched away from Ubuntu after 13 years. But your argumentation doesn’t work for me. If any of the applications updates a bad update, then it wouldn’t make the system unbootable. Crowdstrike software on the other hand are closed source and they had privileges to do everything on your system, as it was installed as Kernel level access program. None of this is true for Snap packages that are auto updated, nor is it true for Flatpak packages.

I am not saying nothing can happen, but because Snap packages are updating itself automatically does not equal Canonical = Crowdstrike. Most packages are not even packaged up by Canonical.

Edit: I think if you continue with this narrative, it would really hurt Linux adoption for no reason. Because people not familiar would say Ubuntu=Linux=Crowdstrike. They don’t even need to install into Crowdstrike to get a strike, they just need to use the most popular Linux distribution Ubuntu. I mean this is what you are basically suggesting.

possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip on 22 Jul 2024 04:03 next collapse

Well flatpak and podman don’t need root. They run as the local user.

However agree with you on your point about Crowdstrike. I just think that chances are we will see plenty more of bad updates that break things

wiki_me@lemmy.ml on 22 Jul 2024 10:05 collapse

Snap packages are better sandboxed (on Ubuntu) than Flatpak or any other system packages.

Source?

System packages already use apparmor, i don’t see a reason they could not be as sandboxed as snap, and i am not aware of a reason that flatpak has a worst sandbox.

drcode@khiar.net on 22 Jul 2024 00:26 next collapse

@possiblylinux127
The idea of Snap is good, but the implementation is bad and slow. I prefer to use distro's package manager or flatpack.

possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip on 22 Jul 2024 02:58 collapse

I like podman and flatpak

vhstape@lemmy.sdf.org on 22 Jul 2024 17:15 collapse

I understand that people feel strongly about Snaps, but I don’t know about saying that they’re a security vulnerability on the basis of offering automatic updates.