Re: ***HUGE*** security hole??!! (Re: Lost root passwd)

[Michael Beattie <mickyb@es.co.nz>]

On Sat, 10 Oct 1998, Norbert Nemec wrote:

> On Sat, 10 Oct 1998 10:42:52 +0100, Ralf G. R. Bergs wrote:
> 
> >On Sat, 10 Oct 1998 00:52:49 -0700 (PDT), George Bonser wrote:
> >
> >[...]
> >>ALlow me to translate.  Boot the rescue disk as if you are installing,
> >[whole story deleted]
> >
> >Hey guys, why so complicated???
> >
> >What's wrong with giving LILO a kernel command line of "init=/bin/sh"? This way 
> >you boot straight into sh, and you can then change the root password.
> >
> >This is how I usually do it under Slackware, and even tho Debian uses shadow 
> >passwords it should work the same way.
> 
> 
> Ouch, I tried it, it really works!!!! That means on a standard
> Linux-machine, everybody could just switch off the power, give the
> LILO-kernel option on reboot and be root??!! Why not simply drop the
> need of a login password?
> 

see 'man lilo.conf' re: "restricted" and "password"

i.e.:

[lilo.conf]
boot=/dev/hda
install=/boot/boot.b
map=/boot/map
compact
vga=5
delay=100
default=Linux
image=/vmlinuz
     label=Linux
     root=/dev/hdc1
     read-only
     password=poiu
     restricted
image=/vmlinuz.old
     label=oldlinux
     root=/dev/hdc1
     optional
     read-only
other=/dev/hda1
     label=Win
     loader=/boot/chain.b
     table=/dev/hda
[end]

                       Michael Beattie (mickyb@es.co.nz)

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