Booting from a linux or other boot disks will defeat most setups, not this one. I'll assume the poster doesn't understand the intricacies of the portion of the ATA spec that IBM uses. I'll elaborate:
Since the BIOS controls the access to the hard drive, upon power-up, the BIOS queries the harddrive to find out if it requires a password. If the harddrive does not require a password, access to the harddrive will be granted to ANY operating system. But, if the harddrive requires a password, the BIOS will query the user for the hard drive password. The BIOS then submits the password to the harddrive, and if the passwords do not match, the hard drive refuses to unlock, then no further access is possible without rebooting the system for another chance at entering the password or by opening up the harddrive itself and trying to reset the EEPROM on the harddrive. You can't defeat this by resetting the BIOS, because the harddrive password is not stored in the BIOS. If you look around the 'net at the iniatives at hacking Microsoft's XBOX, Microsoft uses the same technique for locking the XBOX's harddrive. Again, I haven't touched IBM laptops in about a year and a half, and IBM may have removed this feature, but I doubt it. Sam Hillaire MCSE, MCDBA [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Booting the laptop to a floppy with a linux system capable of mount an NTFS > partition, like the program NTFS2DOS will defeat this setup. > > Jeff Neithercutt CNA, GSEC > Wells Fargo Bank > Corporate Information Protection > 155 5th Street MAC 0186-030 > San Francisco, CA. 94103 > (415)243-5549 > > -----Original Message----- > From: Samuel Hillaire [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > Sent: Friday, May 31, 2002 12:33 PM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: Need a Full Drive Encryption program > > > An alternative suggestion to the hard drive encryption, would be to look at > IBM laptops. On > previous models like the 7xx series of laptops (I haven't looked recently), > there was an option > for a hard drive password. Using a little known portion of the ATA (hard > drive) specification, > the hard drive required a password on initial powerup (computer booting). > This password protected > the drive from theft, since every time power was applied to the hard drive, > the BIOS queried for > the hard drive password. The only way to defeat this mechanism is to send > the laptop back to IBM. > > I knew several executives who swore by this, and would only carry IBM > laptops. > > Sam Hillaire > MCSE, MCDBA > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > --- "Trotter, Brian" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > The President of my company has tasked me with finding some way to keep > the > > data on his and the other executives laptop safe if it is ever stolen. > > I looked over hardware tokens and all kinds of security gizmos, but these > > guys travel so much that if they leave their tokens at the office when > they > > go on the road, they cannot access their data. I figured that using a Full > > Disk Encryption program was the easiest solution. Make them choose a super > > hard password, and we will keep track of the passwords in the IT > department. > > > > I have looked at a couple different products such as "Encryption Plus Hard > > Disk" from PCGuardian, and another I cant remember the name for. However, > > they require you to purchase minimum quantities before they will even talk > > to you about it. PCGuardian requires a minimum of 50 units to be > purchased. > > The other required 100. > > > > Can someone recommend a product that will provide pre-boot authentication > to > > the laptop? It will have to render the laptop useless unless the password > is > > provided. I don't like the encrypted volume software that will encrypt > > select folders and such. I would like something that without the right > > password, the laptop wont even boot. > > > > Thanks for any help you can give. > > > > Brian T. > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Yahoo! - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup > http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com
