this post was submitted on 04 Jul 2024
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submitted 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) by fellowmortal@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/linux@lemmy.ml
 

I've run a small business for over 10 yeas. I use linux. I'm grateful to the community and I use FOSS where possible.

I have had some issues over the years, but have always been able to get around them (except CAD in 2013), but recently I've had issues with my government (UK). First they introduced 'making tax digital' and told me for years that I would have to buy windows only software (there was no legal option on linux until a few weeks before the deadline (https://www.comsci.co.uk/100PcVatFreeBridge saved the day). The UK Government didn't create a free solution or any route to that as they don't want the source to be open for making tax digital so accounting software companies have made a killing!

This week my internet banking stopped allowing payments, it no longer works in firefox (I'm guessing). On the telephone they asked me 'what search engine I was using'^+^ and advised to use google.

What is the best UK business bank to use if you use linux to run a small business? Do I have to use Chrom(e)ium? Does anyone else use linux for business admin? Is anyone (Freesoftware foundation, etc) thinking about the creeping legislative changes that make it literally illegal to use FOSS and linux?

I wanna be an ally, but its so tiring.

^+^ browser ≠ search engine. Yes, I'm pedantic, at least I didn't confuse them by saying 'quant' or 'duck duck go', OK!?

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[–] Cyber@feddit.uk 16 points 3 months ago (2 children)

It's not just browsing discussed there. Re-read that again with cybersecurity in mind... online banking shouldn't be done whilst you're sharing a browser with tiktok (as an example)

Yep, there's private / incognito modes, but they just drop all the local session data, they're not any more secure.

[–] atzanteol@sh.itjust.works 6 points 3 months ago (2 children)

online banking shouldn't be done whilst you're sharing a browser with tiktok (as an example)

Why? Be specific because unless something has gone horribly wrong sites can't access data from other sites or tabs unless they're cooperating. In which case they do so with session data.

And you could simply have a separate Firefox profile rather than spinning up an entire virtual machine.

[–] brbposting@sh.itjust.works 4 points 3 months ago

Neat, Mozilla’s VPN supports setting servers on a per-container basis.

Though gotta watch for DNS leaks apparently.

[–] 0x0@programming.dev 0 points 3 months ago (1 children)

XSS springs to mind.

And spinning up a VM (or container) is not that hard nowadays.

[–] atzanteol@sh.itjust.works 1 points 3 months ago

This does absolutely nothing to defend against XSS.

This is the problem with paranoia-based security. You create needless overhead thinking you're "more secure," but you're not. Not in any way that really matters, at least.

[–] cygnus@lemmy.ca 5 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

This is what Firefox containers are for. Put the predatory sites in a container so they can't see out of it.

[–] atzanteol@sh.itjust.works 0 points 3 months ago (1 children)

They can't "see out" of their own tab either. Websites can only access data in the browser that they create.

[–] cygnus@lemmy.ca 1 points 3 months ago

Sure they can, with cookies or tracking pixels for example.