[techtalk] About prettyphysicslady on the linuxchix techtalk list...

[Angela Nash]

This is *NOT* a backdoor.  Backdoors are hidden, secret ways in to a system.
This isn't hidden.  It isn't secret.  It's very well known and is a recovery
method.  It's *NOT* a "series mistake in the default shipping
configuration".  This is a recovery mechanism almost every UNIX system has
had for years and years.  If you don't like it disable it.  Anyone planning
to put a secure system in place should read up and know enough to remove
this option, as well as secure the box in every other way.
 
Jason

-----Original Message-----
From: Coinneach MacSandair [mailto:coinneach at mediaone.net]
Sent: Saturday, May 12, 2001 9:23 PM
To: techtalk at linuxchix.org
Subject: [techtalk] About prettyphysicslady on the linuxchix techtalk
list...


Jeff,  
 
All right that's enough!  You are way out of line.

 
First, PrettyPhysicsLady is NOT being unreasonable.  It IS a back door.  And
we're not talking about using boot floppies or recovery CD's or cracking the
stupid case to erase the CMOS to override the BIOS password here -- we're
talking about a serious mistake in the default shipping configuration of the
operating system that is big enough to drive a bloody MacTruck through.  A
complete newbie can have unchallenged root access to nearly any Linux box
within 30 seconds without any hardware related measures at all.   If you're
not smart enough to understand why people might be concerned about THAT --
then perhaps you should consider hiring a fourteen year old to handle your
computer affairs for you.
 

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