usenet@cps3xx.UUCP (Usenet file owner) (04/10/89)
After the recent theft of a test, maybe from the hard disk of a pc, we are looking for ways to keep people from using the pc after gaining access to the pc. Are there pieces of hardware that can be used to lock power switches, or keyboard input to pc's and mac's? Are there software or hardware devices that would require password access to the basic operating systems after power up of pc's or mac's? Since these systems are on a lan, are there any software packages floating around that would let a system on the network watch what is being spooled to the printer? The lan is Appletalk/Localtalk and TOPS. John Mireley Dept. of Chemistry MI State Univ.
mesmo@Portia.Stanford.EDU (Chris Johnson) (04/11/89)
In article <2434@cps3xx.UUCP> mireley@frith.egr.msu.edu () writes: >After the recent theft of a test, maybe from the hard disk of a pc, >we are looking for ways to keep people from using the pc after gaining >access to the pc. > >Are there software or hardware devices that would require password >access to the basic operating systems after power up of pc's or mac's? I suggest extreme caution if you are considering the PC-LOCK utility from Johnson Software Enterprises (not sure of name). This product is billed as a password system for PC-class machines with hard disks -- if the proper password isn't provided, the hard disk can't be used as the boot device. Floppy can be used instead, but hard disk cannot be accessed. I downloaded a slightly-crippled version (prevented use of administrator password, otherwise the full version) from Simtel and used it for a week or so. All was fine until I attempted to de-install it. Their utility DESTALL, supposedly the only way to undo PC-LOCK short of low-level format, reported that the utility wasn't installed on my machine, and so failed to de-install it. I was forced to do some tricky things to defeat their protection, which I won't tell about, backup, and then reformat -> BIG PAIN. Thus be sure you have a version which can de-install itself, before putting this on an important system, ie test it out on a crappy old machine first. Here endeth the lesson. -- ============================================================================== Chris M Johnson === mesmo@portia.stanford.edu === "Grad school sucks rocks" ==============================================================================
rgc@raybed2.UUCP (RICK CARLE) (04/13/89)
In article <2434@cps3xx.UUCP>, usenet@cps3xx.UUCP (Usenet file owner) writes: > After the recent theft of a test, maybe from the hard disk of a pc, > we are looking for ways to keep people from using the pc after gaining > access to the pc. Suggestion: Forget about trying to stop people from using the PC. Any solution good enough to stop the best hackers will be obnoxious to everyone else. Instead, safeguard your file. 1) Store your test questions on a floppy, rather than the hard disk. Keep the floppy in a padlocked file cabinet. 2) Update and edit the file only on RAM disk. Be sure to delete any temporary hard disk copies or backups that might be created by your word processor, grammar checker, print spooler or whatever. (The less software tools you use the better.) 3) Use only a local (to your PC) printer. 4) Disconnect from the LAN. Rick Carle
abcscnge@csuna.csun.edu (Scott "The Pseudo-Hacker" Neugroschl) (04/19/89)
Assuming, of course, that you have an AT (not a BS/2), the front panel keylock is an excellent method. -- Scott "The Pseudo-Hacker" Neugroschl UUCP: ...!sm.unisys.com!csun!csuna.csun.edu!abcscnge -- unless explicitly stated above, this article not for use by rec.humor.funny -- Disclaimers? We don't need no stinking disclaimers!!!