This is a grat hacking tool

[Orb360]

computers are never 100% secure, just more or less hard to get into and acess info.
some require physical access, some might be accesed over network...
best one can hope for i that it is hard enough to enter that it is not worth /time/trouble/expenses...
if time/trouble/expenses are not an issue... not much is "secure".
even keeping things in your head is not secure, not many can whitstand interrogation if no rules apply.
just look to iraq, and that was not worst case...
otoh information gained under such circumstances is never 100% but...

Then I guess the best idea would be to keep the info in your head, and then take it to the grave BEFORE you are interrogated (meaning NOW)...


LOL... but even then... if you're religious...

[user unknown]

webster: But you don't need a windows-cd to get su without linux-password

[Silvus]

all you need to do to get through a bios password is find out what kind of bios it is. each company has backdoor passwords to slide in if the user forgets the password. there are sites with pw lists for each maker and it doesnt change their current bios/suecurity settings. and because you are doing this for a legit reasoon u can call the company and get the password as well.

[Discerner0]

I am interested in this topic - though not from the point of view of cracking and stealing, but more from rescuing friends from locked computers, et al.

my question:

...does LINUX have a way to beat the BIOS password? Because now that I have my passwords set in BIOS, what else do I have to do to prevent that from being penetrated?

The BIOS is a small program in an EPROM on the motherboard. By design, it is the first program the CPU runs when the computer starts. The BIOS configuration determines which devices (floppy, CD, hard drive, network, etc.,) the CPU looks at to continue the boot process, and the order they will be accessed. Since the BIOS runs before the CD, Knoppix cannot defeat a password protected BIOS which doesn't allow booting from the CD.

[Added 8-2:] Oops, I should have read all the posts before I wrote this. Of course you could simply boot the hard drive in another computer, or reset the BIOS, but I assumed the cracker wouldn't have that kind of access. That's really a pretty unreasonable assumption on my part.

Might it be possible to write some sort of .exe which, when run from the OS (Windows or Linux,) essentially has the CPU run the boot sector program on the CD, effectively bypassing the BIOS? I don't know enough about the design of the computer at that level to say for sure, but it seems possible.

[Orb360]

The reason Windows has so many virii is because everyone uses it... If Microsoft falls and linux takes over, you can bet there will be hundreds of linux virii coming out every year just like Windows now. Same thing for Macs...

I dont know about security, but basically, if it's hooked to the net, it can be hacked... no matter how secure.... Although you can tighten up Windows just as secure as Linux. I only have one port open, 21 for my FTP server. Disable netbios as this is a big one... and block all traffic over port 135 (RPC) and disable the windows time service and some others... then place this computer behind a router like the one I use which rejects all incomming connections and only allows outgoing connections through port 80... Pretty secure... from the outside.... fairly secure from the inside where I can keep tabs on the other users...

Seriously though, you want you're data safe? keep it up in your head.

[JPWhite]

Orb360 wrote

Seriously though, you want you're data safe? keep it up in your head.

Not very safe IMHO.

First. The human brain is not too quick or reliable. Ever 'forget something' ? Recall errors and 'transcription errors' are the norm rather than the exception
Second. Once intoxicated information flows out of the brain like water from a firehose.
Third. Ever heard of a hypnotist?
Fourth. Have you *always* kept *all* secrets?

There is no totally safe place for data.

JP

[firebyrd10]

Orb360 wrote

Seriously though, you want you're data safe? keep it up in your head.

Not very safe IMHO.

First. The human brain is not too quick or reliable. Ever 'forget something' ? Recall errors and 'transcription errors' are the norm rather than the exception
Second. Once intoxicated information flows out of the brain like water from a firehose.
Third. Ever heard of a hypnotist?
Fourth. Have you *always* kept *all* secrets?

There is no totally safe place for data.

JP

The only safe data is data that never existed. Though not very helpful.

[kevstar31]

knoppix-std is better.

[pureone]

knoppix has become a very handy tool for me.

a few days ago i gave it a shot at installing suse 9.1 pro. i didnt like it and tryed to remove it after a while and messed it up. in the end windows was unable to boot up. i used knoppix to get inside my harddrive because there was data still in there. the stuff i wanted to get was my work mainly.my website for one thing and some of my programs.i was unable to move these files using smb because i have no internet connection on my pc (because its wireless) i could not use floppy because there was too much data and no other computer in my network has a a:\ so i used knoppix cd buit in cd burner to save my data

this is what i really like about knoppix this is why i will keep my ear out for new infomation about knoppix as well i hope to see the day when there is a full blown installer for knoppix.

[firebyrd10]

knoppix has become a very handy tool for me.

a few days ago i gave it a shot at installing suse 9.1 pro. i didnt like it and tryed to remove it after a while and messed it up. in the end windows was unable to boot up. i used knoppix to get inside my harddrive because there was data still in there. the stuff i wanted to get was my work mainly.my website for one thing and some of my programs.i was unable to move these files using smb because i have no internet connection on my pc (because its wireless) i could not use floppy because there was too much data and no other computer in my network has a a:\ so i used knoppix cd buit in cd burner to save my data

this is what i really like about knoppix this is why i will keep my ear out for new infomation about knoppix as well i hope to see the day when there is a full blown installer for knoppix.

Huh? There is an installer.

sudo knoppix-installer