Re: Windows Server 2003 - Not secure from my test but OSX from Mac is secure from the start

[Chris Ditri <chrisd () better-investing org>]

I agree.

It seems to me that if you boot up a linux CD or even a floppy, no OS is safe 
at that point, unless the file system is encrypted -- but by the same token, 
someone could just dowse the thing in kerosene and light it on fire.  What we 
are really talking about here sounds more like physical security.  

If you value it, lock it up.

Chris


On Friday 19 September 2003 01:03 pm, Depp, Dennis M. wrote:
> It can be argued very effectively that no machine is "safe" unless it is
> physically secure.  This is not a Windows problem, but a computer
> problem in general.  With a SUN machine, it is easy to boot from a CD
> and reset the Root password.  If I remove the CD drive, it is not
> difficult to add a new CD drive.
>
> Dennis
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jimi Thompson [mailto:jimit () myrealbox com]
> Sent: Thursday, September 18, 2003 11:07 PM
> To: Damon McMahon; security-basics () securityfocus com
> Subject: Re: Windows Server 2003 - Not secure from my test but OSX from
> Mac is secure from the start
>
> > > <SNIP>
> >
> > There are so many tools out there that can reset the Administrator
> > account with console access to Windows that _no_ Windows machine is
> > safe if it is not physically secure.
>
> </SNIP>
>
> A prime example of this can be observed by booting a Windows XP
> machine off a Windows 2000 CD.  Windows 2000 "assumes" that the SAM
> is corrupt and allows you to fire up the recovery console to pull off
> just about anything you want including stuff off the encrypted
> partitions.
>
> Another example of this are the Linux boot floppy utilities that
> actually 1-  reset the Admin password to the one of your choice  2-
> allow you to select one or 3 - allow you to dissect and decrypt the
> SAM. This is why so many of the remote management "disk-less floppy"
> utilities make me nervous.  Now I can use "password recovery"
> utilities over the wire.
>
> Just what I needed - SOMETHING ELSE to worry about......
>
> Thanks,
>
> Jimi
>
>
>
>
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