[sf-lug] Laptop computer(s) and its/their so-called 'root' password(s)

[Bobbie Sellers]

On 9/26/19 4:40 PM, Rick Moen wrote:
> Quoting Bobbie Sellers (bliss-sf4ever at dslextreme.com):
>
>> The Dell E6420 machines have a very resilient BIOS/Firmware password
>> and unless someone has that BIOS password the settings cannot be
>> altered.  This can be very inconvenient for the user of second hand
>> machines.
> Pretty much every BIOS has a skeleton-key password burned into the
> ROMs, specifically so computer manufacturers and motherboard OEMs
> can help customers locked out.  Web pages spring up from time to time to
> document the BIOS skeleton-key passwords that leak out onto the
> Internet.

     The last we page I saw with skeleton key passwords was a trial and 
error matter
and the number of passwords was very high, the testing procedure was 
time-consuming
and in the meantime the hard-used laptop Dell E6420 failed and I moved 
on to my present
notebooks Dell E6520 and Dell E6540.


>
> Back in 1999 when I was chief sysadmin at Linuxcare in San Francisco, I
> found that some nitwit employee had set a BIOS password on his
> company-issued Linux workstation.  I made him remove it, motivating him
> with rather terse explanations of why this was necessary, and the
> probable cost to him if he could not or would not comply.
>
> And of course this BIOS Setup access should be verified on any machine
> you are considering purchasing, and inability to get in means no sale.
>
> You really ought not to call that the root password, though.  It's
> misleading, particularly on a LUG mailing list.

     Of course I should not call it that but I did and we have had 
multiple posts pointing
that out.  Thanks for your input Rick.

     Bobbie