just general questions about fbsd

[Chad Perrin]

On Sun, May 20, 2007 at 11:48:32PM -0700, Garrett Cooper wrote:
> Chad Perrin wrote:
> >On Sun, May 20, 2007 at 08:09:19PM -0400, Tamouh H. wrote:
> >>On the other hand, Windows has the ability to change the administrator 
> >>user or completely disable it. Something not available in Unix systems. 
> >>For example, a cracker or hacker targeting UNIX system will automatically 
> >>try to compromise the "root" user. It is 100% guaranteed to be there. On 
> >>the other hand in Windows, good sys admins will rename or complete 
> >>disable the administrator user hence making it more difficult to know the 
> >>administrator user.
> >>
> >
> >Actually . . . technically, root users can be renamed and can, in many
> >ways, be disabled.  They can certainly be made inaccessible remotely.
> >
> 
> That can break many scripts though, can't it, if the dev improperly 
> looks up the name, not the UID?

Probably -- if you're talking about disabling or renaming the root
account for users.  I've never personally done it, so can't really
comment on that.  I have, however, generally made the root account
inaccessible remotely -- and that hasn't cause me any problems at all.

-- 
CCD CopyWrite Chad Perrin [ http://ccd.apotheon.org ]
MacUser, Nov. 1990: "There comes a time in the history of any project when
it becomes necessary to shoot the engineers and begin production."