password backdoors (on Apollo)

[lnz () dandelion com (Leonard N. Zubkoff)]

  Date: Thu, 11 May 1995 14:18:22 -0800 (AKDT)
  From: "Matt T. Mannhardt" <mattm () alaska net>

  ...

  But forget the root password and, you better have a set of distribution tapes
  and node with a tape-drive and 20 minutes to kill while it booted off of
  tape. (remember, physical access = control).  But that was all in a prior
  life and previous job.  don't remember a thing about it now.  ;-)

Actually, I believe up until one of the later SR10 releases, there were ways to
acquire "locksmith" privileges without root or physical access, if you knew the
right details about the operating system internals.  I wrote such a program
once long ago, though of course it required its own password so as to avoid
misuse should someone else find it.

                Leonard