Date: Thu, 6 Jul 2000 08:51:32 -0600 (MDT) From: Fred Clift <fred@veriohosting.com> To: "Dan O'Connor" <dan@mostgraveconcern.com> Cc: Andrew Johns <johnsa@kpi.com.au>, freebsd-stable@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: securing the boot process (again?!?) Message-ID: <Pine.BSF.4.21.0007060844351.11463-100000@vespa.orem.iserver.com> In-Reply-To: <0d8b01bfe56a$0c01c580$0200000a@danco>
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On Mon, 3 Jul 2000, Dan O'Connor wrote: > >> Doesn't your computer have a BIOS password? These are typically invoked > >> *before* the BIOS tries to boot off any disk... > > > Looks like there's not really much you can do if you can't physically secure > the machine. > > Even all the other tricks, boot only from hard drive, setting the delay to > '0', are pointless if someone can get inside the hardware case, change > jumpers, get into the BIOS and turn on boot from floppy and then boot from a > floppy. On the other hand, if someone has the opportunity to do all that, > they might as well just steal the whole box... > What would be cool is a crypted filesystem that requires an activation key at boot time by a real person, a smart card, etc at the boot loader. Then, your data would be somewhat secure from even soemone who could boot a floppy. The boot loader would come up and ask you for the crypt-key for the filesystem and you'd have to enter it somehow before anything could boot at all. Of course, the first thing I'd do to subvert this is to boot my own floppy and install a trojaned logging bootloader that then callse the real one or emulates the real one. I come back later and now have the filesystem crypt-key. This also has the side-defect of making a person with knowlege of the key, or with the right smart-card or whatever to be present at each boot. My box however has been up for weeks now so, shrug. This might be useful for someone very paranoid about the FBI breaking down their door and getting access to their data. Note that I'm _NOT_ one of those people -- sigh I dont even run a real OS at home -- yes there are some valid reasons, but dont start a discussion about it and make me defend what I consider crappy software. Fred -- Fred Clift - fred@veriohosting.com -- Remember: If brute force doesn't work, you're just not using enough. To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-stable" in the body of the message
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