Posted 21 hours ago

Are Mini PC's Safe To Use For General PC Use Including Online Shopping

Looking at buying a Mini PC like the GMKtec G3 amd wanted to know if it is safe to use after a clean Windows install to use for general pc usage including online shopping and making payemts online.

Been reading that there is a high chance your details can get extracted via certain hardware components in the Chinese Mini PC's that can be used to extract your details like payment details.

So wanted to know if its ok to buy one and be ok to use them for general PC use and doing online shopping. Thanks guys.

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11 h, 31 m ago
Im unsure how accurate your research is, as i have never looked. But if i was doing this research and that was what i found out, then i wouldnt even be considering one of them!

i certainly wouldnt be posting on a deals site hoping someone says, "it will be fine, go for it"! (edited)
9 h, 53 m ago
I saw some YouTube videos of some dodgy software installed. If you have a fresh usb stick of latest windows installation from another pc and wipe drive and reinstall I cannot see any issues from hardware. I have not seen anything about that. (edited)
11 h, 10 m ago
Being Mini won't affect it, and any PC from a reputable company sold in a UK-based shop has a high chance of being uncompromised.

Stuff you can only get direct from china on marketplace sites or their own website? That's going to be more risky as anyone and their dog can install malware and with little avenue for redress from you there's not a lot to discourage it.

I don't know of any statistics or surveys showing how widespread it is, but if you are doing secure stuff on it then the risk is certainly higher.
11 h, 1 m ago
I suspect OP has maybe seen recent reports from an Ace company that seemed to be a bit more Magic than they should have been - certainly when pressed by the IT press they mentioned that one of their developers had modified the OS source code without sign off. And I know of a couple of reporters stating that they had review machines that weren't as clean as they should have been.

Certainly, I would agree that Mini PC from known companies like Lenovo or MSI for example are likely to be safer - bet even they're not always squeaky clean either - as Lenovo had an issue with something called Superfish?
11 h, 5 m ago
Operating System software (eg Windows, Linux, Android, etc) utilises the electronic circuitry in computers and in this context we are talking about the wifi card and ethernet circuitry. It is not beyond the wit of man to embed some nasty software into chips that would effectively send things like passwords/card details to somewhere you had not intended. But if that has been done in a mini PC it can be done just as much in a standard form factor PC. Most of the components in each are made in China.

So, IMHO unless you have the skill to determine whether there is anything unusual in the electronic circuitry of any computing device, you have little choice but to either accept the risk or not use any form of computer that accepts any of your personal and financial information.
10 h, 22 m ago
I think you have to consider that any device regardless of it's origin can be compromised. How paranoid do you have to be? How concerned do you have to be? I very much doubt you would be an intended target though.
I guess the best analogy would be your home security - it doesn't matter how fancy or sophisticated your home security is if you can get in & out then a burglar can too. How do you make your home more secure? Monitor access - this is where the analogy to computers and the internet works as you can monitor who accesses your PC. I guess having your home burgled is less likely as there would be fewer potentional criminals, whereas a PC on the internet can be seen by a far more numerous audience.

On the paranoid front I know of at least one "internet celebrity" who has forced his bank to agree to ignoring all forms of electronic transactions on his account and only deal with him in person at his local branch - he got them to agree to this in writing as he was so paranoid about someone "deep faking" him to gain access. Which I guess is a thing to consider these days...
9 h, 51 m ago
Most of the worlds computer chips etc are made in Taiwan not China.

China just assembles stuff.

If you are that paranoid buy one assembled in Taiwan. Geekom brand is one I believe.