What is a way to keep the main system as safe as possible aside from getting a completely separate computer for just pirated software? (lemmy.dbzer0.com)

submitted 1 year ago by Rabbit@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/piracy@lemmy.dbzer0.com

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Would installing an OS on an external ssd and booting into that to run pirated software while blocking access to other drives in your system or physically unplugging them be one way?

Or are there better ways to isolate the software you run and use as much as possible?

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[-] L26@ttrpg.network 3 points 1 year ago

GPU passthroughs can expose the host to a potentially compromised VM.

[-] BautAufWasEuchAufbaut@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 1 year ago

Interesting, do you have more information on that? Because why is GPU passthrough a problem but not other PCI devices?

[-] L26@ttrpg.network 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I don’t unfortunately. This is from a conversation I had with a researcher in VM escape.

As far as I’m aware peripherals are not actually passed through exactly but rather emulated on the guest machine. When you pass through a peripheral you’re only passing the input of that device, data is not sent upstream.

Whereas passing through the GPU you’re providing a means of accessing non-emulated devices through the hardware itself bypassing the isolation provided by virtualization entirely.