Many of us use Linux on a regular basis, and some users mistakenly believe that it’s immune to many of the hack attacks commonly used against Windows machines.
In this talk presented at the Shmoocon 2011 conference which recently concluded in Washington, DC, Jon Larimer demonstrates how the development of common windows features in Linux, including autorun, allow attackers to gain access to a live system by using a USB flash drive. He also shows how USB as an exploitation platform can allow for easy bypass of protection mechanisms like ASLR and how these attacks can provide a level of access that other physical attack methods do not. Protective measures are also discussed.