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My bank has a Java applet that requests "unrestricted access" to my computer.

Obviously, this seems a little 1984 to me... What happens when you allow this? Is the applet allowed

  1. (Root) access to the entire filesystem?
  2. Permission to install software?

Is there any difference between allowing "unrestricted access" and just "access" to an applet?

BTW, I'm aware of this question on the same topic.

Community
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trolle3000
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1 Answers1

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Yes, giving the applet unrestricted access will allow the applet access to the file system, which it could potentially use to install software.

Fortunately, it will still run with the permissions assigned to the user running the browser (NOT root access). So if you are worried about the harm your bank might do on your computer, consider creating a separate non-privileged or even a guest account on your system and use this account for online banking. This way neither system files nor anything in your home directory can be damaged.

Thilo
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