UPX: the Ultimate Packer for eXecutables - Homepage
upx.github.io
UPX homepage: the Ultimate Packer for eXecutables

UPX is open source and works on linux , windows and mac (ie. cross platform) I would like to know why the torrenting space isn’t using it already / having a mature discussion about it.

  • Linuxer@discuss.onlineOPEnglish
    42·
    2 months ago

    . Malware is enough of a problem that there’s no way I’d want to start downloading crap that’s been UPXed since that’s going to make it impossible to determine if it’s legitimate or not by (most) endpoint tools, or they’ll just see UPX and go ‘bad shit!’ on everything.

    You had clearly misunderstood what this tool is. Its tool for better compression of executables which could be used in data sensitive (Like , most people would agree with me that some times decrypting on our own local device could be better since it could be more predictable than waiting for seeders , because there are very less seeders)

    • schizo@forum.uncomfortable.businessEnglish
      161·
      2 months ago

      Politely, but no.

      It’s a compression tool that is also used to mask malware, and you’re proposing to expand it’s use in a use case that’s ALREADY coated in enough malware to give you herpes just by walking past your average tracker.

      It’s a bad idea from a security perspective, and it’s not going to outperform a LZMA-based compression tool using a large dictionary (7zip, etc.) which also isn’t fucking with binaries in a way that makes detecting and preventing malicious software more complicated for the average user, who typically knows absolutely zero about what’s going on.

      • Linuxer@discuss.onlineOPEnglish
        3·
        2 months ago

        I had actually agreed with you , here was my initial comment , though I just wanted to look into upx github page more

        okay now I understand what you mean.
Basically the same threat model follows if you want to unpack a upx
and it also states
- We will *NOT* add any sort of protection and/or encryption.
    This only gives people a false feeling of security because
    all "protectors" can be broken by definition.

What would you recommend instead ? .
But also if you are extracting that file , you are basically running it , but the main issue is that antivirus can't read it

        new response:

        
But on  https://upx.github.io/ , its given as

>secure: as UPX is documented Open Source since many years any relevant Security/Antivirus software is able to peek inside UPX compressed apps to verify them

I am really sorry mate but please read about upx once because I don't know why but you just seem so defensive to this change without actually giving any good reason. Though you do seem knowledgable so I am obviously looking to have more discussion , but just a bit more detailed.
Thanks , have a good day / good night