Hack into a Windows PC without using password
Monday, March 10, 2008 by PPV
"If you have a Firewire port, disable it when you aren't using it".
A security consultant based in New Zealand has released a tool that can unlock Windows computers in seconds without the need for a password.
Adam Boileau first demonstrated the hack, which affects Windows XP computers but has not yet been tested with Windows Vista, at a security conference in Sydney in 2006, but Microsoft has yet to develop a fix.
But now that a couple of years have passed and the issue has not resolved, Boileau decided to release the tool on his website.
To use the tool, hackers must connect a Linux-based computer to a Firewire port on the target machine. The machine is then tricked into allowing the attacking computer to have read and write access to its memory.
With full access to the memory, the tool can then modify Windows' password protection code, which is stored there, and render it ineffective.
Older desktop computers do not come equipped with Firewire ports, which are needed for the hack to work, but many recent models do. Most laptops made in the last few years include Firewire ports.
Full story: here
A security consultant based in New Zealand has released a tool that can unlock Windows computers in seconds without the need for a password.
Adam Boileau first demonstrated the hack, which affects Windows XP computers but has not yet been tested with Windows Vista, at a security conference in Sydney in 2006, but Microsoft has yet to develop a fix.
But now that a couple of years have passed and the issue has not resolved, Boileau decided to release the tool on his website.
To use the tool, hackers must connect a Linux-based computer to a Firewire port on the target machine. The machine is then tricked into allowing the attacking computer to have read and write access to its memory.
With full access to the memory, the tool can then modify Windows' password protection code, which is stored there, and render it ineffective.
Older desktop computers do not come equipped with Firewire ports, which are needed for the hack to work, but many recent models do. Most laptops made in the last few years include Firewire ports.
Full story: here
