Hey guys
I'm looking at getting a mini PC just for normal surfing, streaming and occassional MS Office tasks.
As there are super inexpensive ones, I sometimes think if there is a catch. I can buy RAM and SSD from reputable brands and install my own OS to be sure. However, I know that CPUs could be less likely to be tampered (I might be wring) but how about possible low-level hardware exploits?
Am I being too paranoid?
Thanks for that info and lucky I asked as I am new to this field. I might go for the peace if mind route then.
Theres no UEFI firmware rootkits in the ones like Kamrui and Acemagic that's hit the news though. Anyone that says otherwise without proof are simply scaremongering.
Big brands like HP and Lenovo have been caught countless times adding rootkits and bootkits though.
Considering the price of refurb Dell/etc machines they're not really that great of a price either. An N100 machine will use a lot less power, but for normal use I have a 9th gen dell SFF and it's perfectly fine for all the things you mention above. I don't notice any difference between my gaming desktop for those same purposes.
Yes there is such a thing as a boot kit which is malware installed in the UEFI firmware. Essentially it can survive RAM and SSD changes as well as OS reinstalls.
If you are worried about pre-hacked machines from China, this is likely what you should be worried about.