How to reset lost root password

Excuse me but may I ask you something. If anyone can change the root's password with this way, where is the security of the Linux?

Thx.

Excuse me but may I ask you something. If anyone can change the root's password with this way, where is the security of the Linux?

Well, point me to ANY OS that can resist cracking if one has direct access?

And this is what we are talking about: direct access to the hardware. Linux ican be configured securely when trying to get into by remote connection. Still nobody will give 100% because it does not exist.

If you thing that removing whole "root problem" will make your box unbreakable, then you are mistaken.

If you want to I can tell you how to make your box "more secure", I don't know if you will be able to use it (not the way you think) but yes it will work "more secure". Remember we are talking about workstation: you know GUI, java, and so on. Which means that it should be secure but also usable.

broch, Adam,

This has been posted as a HowTo submission. Note: I am leaving this thread in place as well, because now it has become a discussion.

niti,

This HowTo requires physical access to your PC. If someone has physical access to your PC, you can not keep it secure. (They can take your drive and walk away; resetting a root password is not the worst of your worries in that case.)

anomie, thanks and o.k.

Originally posted by niti@Apr 9 2005, 04:55 PM
Excuse me but may I ask you something. If anyone can change the root's password with this way, where is the security of the Linux?

Thx.

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Broch and Anomie have answered this excellently (as if you'd need to doubt otherwise)... Local security is paramount, and extends above and beyond the computer. For example, if you don't trust local people, lock the machine away. Thats why most companies have a locked server room

I'll just add you can add an extra layer of password to the boot, and to the bios - but at the end of the day, the only secure computer is a switched off pc encased in concrete dumped randomly somewhere in the pacific ocean

and even then, only maybe ....

Originally posted by anomie@Apr 9 2005, 08:15 PM
broch, Adam,

This has been posted as a HowTo submission. Note: I am leaving this thread in place as well, because now it has become a discussion.

niti,

This HowTo requires physical access to your PC. If someone has physical access to your PC, you can not keep it secure. (They can take your drive and walk away; resetting a root password is not the worst of your worries in that case.)

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I am sorry . I dont want to create polemic in the air. But I am curiosity this; If anyone can be reset the root password, he/she can delete files or format in another one's pc. Am I wrong? If it is true, this reset case is not correct approach as to me.

one more time, there is no way that you wold not be able to reset password in any OS if you have direct acces to the hardware. I can do that wiht windows, linux, OS X, BSD whatever you pick up.

Why would anyone use an OS that renders data unusable if you forget the password? Security is one thing, administration is another. There has to be a way in for the admin in cases like this, otherwise the OS is worse then useless.

Besides I don't need a password to reformat a pc with ANY OS

Just let me take the hard disc out

a1phaomega,
that is the point....
The real meaning of security got lost somewhere.

I agree broch..

What people fail to realise is security is a RELATIVE concept, not an absolute one. There is no magic procedure you can do to make your machine "SECURE", as it were.

It boils down to the balance between security and usability, as you said. YOu can make your machine incredibly secure - but unusable.

Think of security as a number between 1 and infinity. Everyone's machine has a security number. Some are higher then most.

There's a bare minimun number to which you can apsire to. Some OS's have a higher number then others (OpenBSD spings to mind as higher the Windows 98 for example ;-) )

But, as in nature, the concept of infinity is meaningless and unreachable.