Security Basics mailing list archives

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


From: Jimi Thompson <jimit () myrealbox com>
Date: Thu, 18 Sep 2003 22:07:11 -0500

<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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