CDs are dangerous

[rbandrews]

Public Service Announcement Shaming:

Reading how to reset the root password on a Mac led to this little tidbit:

"IMPORTANT: Because a user with the Mac OS X install disc can gain unrestricted access to your computer, you should keep the disc in a safe place."

What's that, Apple? Did you just say that if any idiot with a blank CD has physical access to my CD drive, they can root my machine?

I bet the Math Emporium people would find that interesting...

Comments

[wyrdone.livejournal.com]

Specific to the computer == hellishly expensive.

As stated the only way to protect against this is to hardware encrypt the HDD.

[rbandrews]

You can't even buy a Mac without a CD burner, so what's wrong with during the install "insert a blank CD now to make a recovery disc; don't lose it!"

Obviously if you have physical access to a machine you can root it, there's no way around that, but at least make it harder than "boot off this easily-obtainable CD". Make it require a screwdriver. Make it where you can't do it without it being immediately obvious to whoever is guarding the machines that you're doing something you shouldn't.