Subscribe to Windows IT Pro

 

Get Newsletters

  • Get the Latest News
  • Product Updates
  • Helpful Tricks
  • Productivity Tips

Subscribe Now!

July 08, 2009 12:00 AM

Kon-Boot Lets You Bypass Logon for Windows and Linux

Windows IT Pro
InstantDoc ID #102433
Rating: (12)

Kon-Boot looks like a very interesting tool since it can get you into a system without having to logon first.

According to the description at the tool's site, Kon-Boot alters a Linux or Windows kernel on the fly during boot up. The result is that you can login to a system as 'root' or 'administrator' without having to know the associated account password.

The tool reportedly works with Windows Vista, XP, Server 2008, Server 2003, Windows 7, Gentoo, Ubuntu, Debian, and Fedora.

All of you admins out there might want to give this tool a whirl to see how it works against your systems - before one of your users does!

Related Content:

ARTICLE TOOLS

Comments
  • Jason
    3 years ago
    Jul 23, 2009

    Wasn't that what Windows PE was developed for? Have they tried UBCD recently. That does exactly this, and has been doing so for many years.

  • TJ
    3 years ago
    Jul 09, 2009

    As a systems administrator with a background in software engineering, my response to this article is - quite frankly - "oh please."

    It is a fact that you do not need to alter the kernel to bypass a logon - just the boot sequence, which is as easy as pie if you are a programmer.

    If I'm booting an ISO CD from the console, I can bypass the security anyway. I can gain root access regardless of the operating system being used by booting from a CD, as long as I know how to read the underlying filesystem.

    No special programming is even required for such a feat. That is why encrypted filesystems were created in the first place.

  • GLEN
    3 years ago
    Jul 09, 2009

    From my testing on a Windows XP computer which is part of a domain, you can only use a local user account, not an AD account. This is why you locked your AD account out. Try it against a local account and it should work fine. Another caveat is that you need to know the name of at least one local user account to access the system; however, there are ways to find this out before hand if you don't already know. (Ex. Offline NT Password & Registry Editor, ERD Commander)

  • s
    3 years ago
    Jul 08, 2009

    Maybe it already has been added to a rootkit!!!!

  • ERIC
    3 years ago
    Jul 08, 2009

    Hmmm - booting up using the .iso left me with a blinking cursor the first time, and a blinking "ERR" the second time, all while I received an alert my AD account was now locked out. Are we sure this thing does what it says it does?

You must log on before posting a comment.

Are you a new visitor? Register Here

advertisement

advertisement

White Papers

Get your Windows 7 deployment off to the right start by implementing PC lockdown. A locked-down environment is easier and cheaper to support since users are less likely to make unnecessary changes to the core system configuration - read more here!

Essential Guides

Is your iSCSI "lossy"? The reality is that most off-the-shelf Ethernet hardware deployed for iSCSI can lose packets, resulting in slow performance or application downtime. Learn how to assess your current iSCSI infrastructure and engineer an advanced iSCSI SAN infrastructure.

Web Seminars

What's the best way to keep your network safe from malware? In this web seminar, security expert Greg Shields suggests an alternative method to the traditional blacklisting approach that is common with anti-virus and anti-malware solutions.

eLearning Series

We bring the experts direct to you to share their real-world perspective and expertise. During each event, three sessions stream in real time, so you can learn, ask questions, and get solutions.
Upcoming event: Getting the Most with Exchange 2010 with Paul Robichaux

Subscribe to Windows IT Pro!

Windows is a trademark of the Microsoft group of companies. Windows IT Pro is used by Penton Media Inc. under license from owner.