[comp.sys.next] Disabling power key

mcnichol@rodan.acs.syr.edu (Brendan Thomas McNichols) (04/25/91)

Is it possible to disable the power key or to make the program it calls
only executable by a SuperUser?

Thanks,
Brendan McNichols
mcnichol@rodan.acs.syr.edu

matthews@lewhoosh.umd.edu (Mike Matthews) (04/28/91)

In article <1991Apr28.143152.14734@news.stolaf.edu> brownd@agnes.acc.stolaf.edu  
(David H. Brown) writes:
[stuff deleted at various places]
> However, if the point is just to "protect" users from turning the machine
> off, this redundancy would allow you to physically remove the keyswitch under
> the power button if you _really_ wanted to. This would most certainly kill
> any warranty and wouldn't do much for the resale value, either!
 
> Dave Brown (brownd@agnes.acc.stolaf.edu)

Well, if you do that, you would have to pull the plug to turn the power off.

There is no way to secure the machine if someone has physical access to it...  
The PowerKeyDisabled thing just protects users from turning off the machine by  
accident, which is really the best you can do.

Mike

bb@math.ufl.edu (Brian Bartholomew) (04/30/91)

In article <1991Apr25.144537.25450@rodan.acs.syr.edu>
mcnichol@rodan.acs.syr.edu (Brendan Thomas McNichols) writes:

> Is it possible to disable the power key or to make the program it
> calls only executable by a SuperUser?

That's only useful if you put the machine in a box and hardwire it
with conduit (electrical plumbing) so that the badguy can't reach
around and pull out the plug instead.  At least the NeXT power-off key
does a clean shutdown.  In general, you have no security unless you
first have physical security.


--
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a rigged demo."
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