KonBoot and the importance of protected bootloaders.
A few weeks ago, I made a KonBoot USB drive. KonBoot allows you to circumvent log-in screens and passwords on a number of diffrent operating systems. Now before you run off and buy one (which you might want to take advantage of for 64bit systems), you can make a 32bit KonBoot for free! KonBoot works by booting into a KonBootOS off of the removable media, then hooks the orginal operating system's kernel on the main media (typically the hard-disk, but IronGeek's version allows you to select any device), and then depreciates the OS's log-on system. Similarly, if you boot into any non-standard operating system, you have the ability to modify files of the orginal operating system on the hard disk. This can be used to retreive files with access controls, as the access controls are not implemented in the non-standard operating system. To protect one's self from Kon-boot or any non-default OS file snooping, there are a number of protections to have in place. One should always have a BIOS-settings password, restricting individuals from tampering with your bootable device list. Next, restrict your bootable devices to only your hard-drive or the device with your default opperating system such that even with a password lock individuals can't use your system with a non-standard opperating system. You also don't need a full on-boot BIOS password, a password on the settings alone should be sufficent. Another major tool for your file defenses is a fully encrypted hard drive, such that even if the threats can boot into a non-default OS, they can't reliably modify your operating system. So go have fun with KonBoot, and protect yourselves with BIOS passwords and encrypted drives!