This isn't a LILO thing. This is an "init" thing. When you type "linux 1"
or "linux s" at the LILO prompt it is passing the 1 or s parameter to the
kernel, which hands it to the init process. The init process then finds
this runlevel in the /etc/inittab and executes the processes. This is how
the other runlevels operate too. So if you want to remove it you need to
edit the /etc/inittab file.
This isn't a backdoor. It's a recovery procedure. Almost every UNIX type
system has the same thing. Physical security is every bit as important as
passwords and file permissions. You can either remove this runlevel from
the inittab file, or just add a password to the LILO prompt. But, if I have
a bootdisk I can get by both unless you encrypt the filesystem.
Jason
-----Original Message-----
From: Linda MacPhee-Cobb [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Friday, May 11, 2001 10:25 PM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: [techtalk] Re: techtalk digest, Vol 1 #447 - 11 msgs
Hi All,
I have been painstakingly going through the lilo documentation. I have not
found in the documentation, on my computer or at sunsite, a single reference
to this back door into my computer. It is not even documented in the source
code.
The fact we have a back door that allows root access that is undocumented is
something I would expect from M$ not linux.
Why isn't this documented in an easy to find location? That is very
troubling. Especially since linux users scream bloody murder when back
doors are found in Windows.
If I wanted a computer OS that didn't need a password I would use Windows
95. One of the reasons for choosing linux was the security. Right now
Win2000 looks like a better option. The only way to boot this machine is
from the hard drive. I am not so stupid as to forget root password, nor am
I pleased that the people writing this system appear to have set it up for
fools.
If there is one undocumented back door there are many.
Who are these back doors built in for? Clearly not the users or there would
be documentation.
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