[K12OSN] Security of Local Win2K Boxes when using K12LTSP

Ken Meyer kmeyer at blarg.net
Mon Feb 23 01:29:01 UTC 2004


Recently, the net admin at one of the community colleges I am attending
(senior tuition waiver) told me that there had been damage to system files
on some classroom Win2K boxes.  He alleges this was due to some of the more
knowledgeable and well-trained students booting Knoppix and similar distros,
which ignore the Win2K permissions and allow such mischief, though I am not
sure how he is so sure that it was hackers powered by Linux that did the
damage.

I would not like to see the Boot-from-CD option turned off on these
machines, but I have not discovered any way to protect NTFS files from local
Linux boots -- no clever BIOS routine that might tell Linux not to recognize
the contents of the NTFS system partition, or whatever.  If there indeed is
none and he is forced to turn off the CD Boot option (while leaving the
Floppy Boot capability), then I would like to promote the creation of a
Linux terminal server in order to serve those who want to have access to
Linux from anywhere on campus (and who are not using it just as a hackers'
interface).  So, the second question is: if you boot from a floppy to the
TS, can you still access the contents of the local drive, as if you had
booted Linux on the local box, or is that drive invisible and/or
inaccessible.  If there's no difference in the hackability, obviously, my
opportunity to sell LTSP will have to be based on other grounds.

Ken Meyer





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