Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2001 10:31:57 -0800 (PST) From: John Baldwin <jhb@FreeBSD.org> To: Paul Richards <paul@freebsd-services.com> Cc: Mike Barcroft <mike@FreeBSD.ORG>, Mike Silbersack <silby@silby.com>, Alfred Perlstein <bright@mu.org>, mini@haikugeek.com, cvs-all@FreeBSD.ORG, cvs-committers@FreeBSD.ORG, Wilko Bulte <wkb@freebie.xs4all.nl> Subject: Re: cvs commit: src/sys/boot/i386/loader version src/share/examp Message-ID: <XFMail.011211103157.jhb@FreeBSD.org> In-Reply-To: <806020000.1008083557@lobster.originative.co.uk>
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On 11-Dec-01 Paul Richards wrote: > A box where the BIOS is passwd protected, and has been set to only allow > booting from the hard disk and where FreeBSD is configured to have a secure > console is pretty secure from a casual attack. You'd have to open up the > box and clear the CMOS and that sort of activity would be difficult in most > situations and certainly something that would be noticed (we're not talking > about sneaking into the server room late at night here, we're talking about > office/classroom/lab environments where the admin is trying to protect the > desktop systems from abuse). > > The loader change means that all that's necessary now is to power cycle the > box and stop in the boot loader and clear the root passwd. That's something > that can be done while sitting quite innocuously at the console and not > drawing any attention to oneself. You mean one couldn't compile a custom kernel module to allow root access, stick it in /tmp, reboot, break into the loader prompt and load /tmp/mymodule.ko and then boot the system before? :) It's no more vulnerable than it was before. Also, writing to the file itself isn't that easy unless you are a Forth hacker. This wouldn't apply in the lab of machines I admin'd at college for CS undergrads for example since no one knew forth. -- John Baldwin <jhb@FreeBSD.org> <>< http://www.FreeBSD.org/~jhb/ "Power Users Use the Power to Serve!" - http://www.FreeBSD.org/ To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe cvs-all" in the body of the message
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