RE: Re: IRCXpro 1.0 - Clear local and default remote admin passwords

[<tido () hushmail com>]

Unless i am missing something, the addition of a "hard-key" would not
be any better than a stored password.

If you authorize the machine, or a piece of hardware plugged into the
machine does not make a difference.

What keeps another process/user/root/admin from requesting the
password/authorization from the hard-key?
(possibly a password that has to be entered by an admin?
 and the cycle continues)

odiT

Just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean that they are not out to get
you...


-----Original Message-----
From: Pablo Solé [mailto:pablo_sole () myp net ar]
Sent: Wednesday, June 04, 2003 2:19 PM
To: full-disclosure () lists netsys com
Cc: IRCXpro Support
Subject: Re: [Full-disclosure] Re: IRCXpro 1.0 - Clear local and default
remote admin passwords


> Many programs need a private key for encryption.  Possession of this
key is usually part if not all of the decision for authentication.  
> The only relatively safe way of maintaining this key on disk is to
encrypt it and require a decryption password from the user when starting
the process.  
> Unfortunately, system admins have a beef with servers that restart
and require an operator to input a password to get the >services up,
especially in production environments.  

An example of this is when you run a https server with a signed cert
and non empty passphrase. You need to put the key everytime you restart
the service.

IMHO, a solution could be some kind of hard-key (EEPROM connected to
the parallel port).

pablo.


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