Working in not safe enviroment

I need to download iso and write it to usb with unetbooint. The problem is that i need to do this in not safe enviroment. I’m talking about not patched, no av, windows xp system. I’m sure that this system have many malware in it.

I wondering how likely it is that malware will be injected when i write usb with unetbootin. Does such malware exicts wich have these moving capabilities ? Capabilities like:being in windows, but with ability to infect usb (bootbale debian install usb), and after debian install plant itself into fresh debian system…
I know that i can check sha1sum of iso, but anyway to check if bootable usb wich i just made is not infected ?

Good day,

why possible is anything. Now, you’ve to keep in mind however, that this would be a rather specific and not all to easy kind of attack, which (presumably) wouldn’t really be “wasted” on most people. However, staying to safe has never harmed anyone, so, if your only possible environment for creating such a stick is deemed unsafe, I may recommend using two, in order to install a safe (checked) Linux (like Debian or Fedora) on the first one and then dd a second .iso loaded using this stick on drive number two. Alternatively, if you really only have one flash drive, you may try to partition it in such a way, as to be able to install a lightweight Linux on one partition, then booting from it and dd’ing the .iso from there on partition two. You may then also erase partition one, to stay more safe.

Though like said before, it is rather unlikely that you would really have to fear to much in this direction.

Have a nice day,

Ego

Such malware is currently not known to be existing in the wild (off the shelf). However, it’s certainly possible to create a tailored malware (targeted attack) with these capabilities.