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brkroot
Asked: 2019-03-02 00:58:51 +0800 CST

Ubuntu on USB and Windows on SSD

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I found similar questions, but with no answers. I don't understand how far both OS are isolated one from each other if:

  1. on a SSD I have a Windows 10
  2. On a USB I have Ubuntu

From security and privacy point of view, can Windows OS interfere with the Ubuntu? As I am on Ubuntu from the USB now, and can see all Windows folders since the SSD is shown as a volume. Also If I am on Windows 10 while the USB is plugged, does this make it accessible by the Windows?

If someone can help me please how to safely use both OS without security risks between them? (till now I have managed this with a virtual machine, but now I can't as low specs laptop)

boot windows dual-boot usb

2 Answers

  1. Windows, by default, does not have the capabilities to view Linux filesystems (Ext4 formatted). Linux, however, can view both NTFS and FAT32, the standards for Windows. Unless the concern is being able to access the disk at all, the data on the Linux disk shouldn't be changed by Windows unless someone explicitly intends to, either by formatting the disk or installing the necessary software to view/change ext4 filesystems.

    As for the reverse, Windows by default does not perform a full shutdown, opting instead to enter something called a "hybrid sleep", which decreases boot times. A side effect of this is that it does not unmount disks it uses; you can view this disk from your Linux install, but if you try to make changes it won't let you, because unless you changed this setting in Windows the drive is mounted as "read only".

    If the goal is to prevent any interaction between the devices whatsoever, pretty much the only option is encryption. Bitlocker for Windows, but a reinstall is required for Ubuntu. Worth noting that this still does not prevent formatting, just access to the contents of the hard drive.

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    • One simple way to protect your Ubuntu system is to unplug your USB drive with Ubuntu before you boot into Windows.

    • There should be no big risk of infection from Windows to Ubuntu, so unless you need an extra high security level, I don't think this is a problem. (When I dual booted some years ago, I had Ubuntu in the same hard disk drive as Windows, and there were no problems.)

    • There could be another risk: Some major upgrades of Windows may hijack the boot system, so that you can no longer boot into Ubuntu. There are fairly easy repair methods for this problem, when you know how to do it. See for example the following links,

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