SearchSecurity: How to Break Into a Computer That is Right at Your Fingertips

“If the BIOS is not password protected, the attacker doesn’t
even need a screwdriver. He or she can hack into a Windows- or
Linux-based computer by using only two items: a KNOPPIX CD and a
USB key. KNOPPIX is a Linux distribution that is available for free
at knoppix.com and that can be burned onto a single CD. The
attacker can boot KNOPPIX from the CD and then copy everything from
the hard drive to the USB key. (If the BIOS has been set to
disallow booting from the CD drive, the attacker needs only one
additional item: a KNOPPIX boot floppy disk, which is available
from the same site as the KNOPPIX CD…)”

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