Security for my computer!

[Net_noob]

Hello there, this is a very simple question. A friend of mine has a sony Vaio
That has this neat little vault security program that pops up when he starts his computer. looks like a tiny vault in which you have to dial the combo right to gain access. My friend doesnt think they make it for regular computers only "sony vaio's" is this true or is there something kinda like that that i can get for a regualr desktop pc?

Only reason i want it is because i have alot of nosey roomates and I dont want them to be able to get on my comp whenever they feel like it :)

Any help would be greatly appreciated

Thanks!

[theprez98]

Unless someone else with a Sony Vaio pipes up, I would look into getting the name of the program and anything else about it you can, that way you can then determine if it's a proprietary Sony product or something any laptop can run.

[Net_noob]

k

I will do that next time i see him, other then that is there any program out there that i can use to keep my roomies off the comp.
It doesnt have to be that exact program.

[jonblund]

you can set a password on youre windowsXP user acount.

Or seach the Internet for "boot password" or something.

Hva you asked Google? :)

Best Reguards

JonBlund

[dYn4mic]

First of all... I'd recommend using a BIOS password (setup and startup)... and disable booting from a CDROM... (if your friends know whats up... then lock your case with a good cable setup because they can just pop out the CMOS password and clear the bios password...etc..)
Also...
When your done with your computer.. and you want to leave it on...
make sure to logout of your computer and use a good password...

If other people need access to the computer.. Windows XP has a feature to encrypt your my documents or something like that...

Its prettymuch that easy for 'regular' roommates (ex. non comp. knowledgeable/friends that really know what they are doing..)

[Net_noob]

ahh

Well that pretty much answers it for me, my roomies are even more retarded than me lol. I will try the bios password, i tried to password protect my screen saver but they were smart enough to reboot lmao. anyway thanks a bunch for all the help i greatly appreaciate it!

Net_Noob

[Second]

Well that pretty much answers it for me, my roomies are even more retarded than me lol. I will try the bios password, i tried to password protect my screen saver but they were smart enough to reboot lmao. anyway thanks a bunch for all the help i greatly appreaciate it!

Net_Noob

If they are "even more retarded" than you, the XP account password would probably be the easiest. I'm not on a PC right now but I believe it's Start-Control Panel-Users or something like that and you can go from there.

:)

[FLeiXiuS]

Setting the BIOS password is more then enough to block potential threats. Considering if your friends are well litereate enough to remove the batter to disable the BIOS password. Even if you encounter that, set the regular OS splash screen password. Windows comes with user account settings which allow you to create a password for that specific user. Linux also comes with a lock for terminal / X access. Look into it, it's really easy to handle.

[KeLviN]

/me also votes bios password.

i was hanging with some friends and went outside for a smoke, and one of them had rebooted my win machine in safe mode, thus bypassing my password prompts. now it boots straight to the bios logon. that should keep DaMan out for a little longer....

[TheCotMan]

Use of BIOS "Boot" password (prompts for password each boot) is only good at delaying an attacker.

Some board/BIOS support notification of the case being opened between boots, but this can also be disabled or fixed after opening the case.

Some laptops (an old IBM ThinkPad of mine does this) have options to lock the drive with a password, and according to thier docs, if you forget the password, you lose your data, and have to install a brand new hard drive.)

You also have options to password protect your BIOS from being changed so that you can set the boot media to only be your local HD, and not your floppy/CD-ROM or ethernet. (Letting people boot from their own media is a huge risk... if not for OS ownership change, then for DoS.)

No matter what you choose, physical access is a serious risk. I expect over half of the people on this forum, with a little research or none, could probably bypass most BIOS passwords with less than 5 minutes "alone time" with the machine. (Maybe a little more time if the case is locked.)

If you had a password prompt at boot, then you could have an idea that they reset it if you suddenly weren't prompted for it, or it had changed.

However, this does nothing to speak of inline hardware keyboard USB, PS/2 or AT devices that grab keystrokes-- who ever checks their keyboard cable for added hardware before entering a password? And then there is shoulder surfing...

A safe does not secure items stored within it. A Safe only increases the amount of time required to gain access to the contents (and that is how safes are rated.) A BIOS password only adds time to an attack. (Not a reason to not use them, just a notice of their limitations.)

[KeLviN]

yeah, but do you honestl think his tech-tarded roomates are going to open the case and start looking for batterys to pull?

[TheCotMan]

yeah, but do you honestl think his tech-tarded roomates are going to open the case and start looking for batterys to pull?

Nope. I think his tech-tarded roommates probably have almost enough collective mental energy to boil toast and ask, "would you like fries with that?"

Kelvin, I respect you. It was not your statement about BIOS that caused me concern. Here was the item that caused me concern:

Setting the BIOS password is more then enough to block potential threats.

I really dislike absolutes: "Now your site is secure!", "Now you have nothing to worry about"
All it takes is one roommate to say, "Hey, [s]he is trying to stop us! There has to be a way around this! I wonder what google will tell us!" The human threat is always changing, sometimes growing.

Now I suck for singling out one person's comment.

[FLeiXiuS]

Kelvin, I respect you. It was not your statement about BIOS that caused me concern. Here was the item that caused me concern:

I really dislike absolutes: "Now your site is secure!", "Now you have nothing to worry about"

I understand your cocern, It's not the best solution for protection, but it does slow the user down. Especially if they don't have another available computer to use. I'm sure they'll put it down and forget about it. If their knowledge isn't too overwhelming with computers.

[highwizard]

I understand your cocern, It's not the best solution for protection, but it does slow the user down. Especially if they don't have another available computer to use. I'm sure they'll put it down and forget about it. If their knowledge isn't too overwhelming with computers.

Blah Blah Blah, you're a fucktard and the word is "concern".

[TheCotMan]

I understand your cocern, It's not the best solution for protection, but it does slow the user down.

Do you realize you just restated my conclusion back to me from my earlier post in this thread?

A safe does not secure items stored within it. A Safe only increases the amount of time required to gain access to the contents (and that is how safes are rated.) A BIOS password only adds time to an attack. (Not a reason to not use them, just a notice of their limitations.)

Of course I will agree with my conclusion, but that was not your assertion.

I'm sure they'll put it down and forget about it. If their knowledge isn't too overwhelming with computers.

This is more a statement of your "feeling" than an absolute like your previous statement, but it still is a bad assumption to make. What do people do when they can't solve a problem? Do they give up? Sometimes. Do they ask friends who actually know stuff about the problem? Sometimes-- it depends on how much they want to solve the problem.

Setting the BIOS password is more then enough to block potential threats.

Do you realize what this statement means? Even if we assume an implication of, "to block potential threats [that your roommate may devise,]" it is not correct.

Proof by counterexample.

The most brain-dead of attacks to implement is a DoS. The user's buddies come in with a sledge hammer and go at it to destory the computer. Can this happen? Yes, it is possible, and therefore potential. Is it a threat? To the owner of the machine, it would likely be a threat. Does a BIOS password stop this attack? No.
This meets the criteria of a potential threat that is not blocked by a BIOS password and there are more.

Just because I point out these problems with your choice of words does not mean I hate you. It does not mean I am some guy who is elite (because I am nothing close to "elite.") What it means is that I took time out to offer you constructive criticism so you can gain wisdom.

Learn or don't-- the choice is yours.