BIOS password hacking

I won't bore you with tips on soldering chips and programming in assembly language, but I will provide you with some steps and good resources to turn to so you don't have to pull half your hair out or give up altogether. If you really need to get into or reconfigure a desktop or laptop system and one of those pesky passwords is getting in your way, here's how you can get around it.

There are several reasons why you may need to reset a BIOS password:

• You set a configuration password several years ago and now you have to make some hardware configuration tweaks or change the boot order of your drives. Conveniently, you can't remember the password you used.
• Your boss brought you her computer from home that her eight-year-old stepson mischievously locked her out of by setting a power-on password.
• You inherited a new set of computers and the previous administrator set BIOS configuration passwords so you can't enable/disable your built-in wireless or wired network cards.
• A malicious person set a password on a physically insecure server or laptop, and now it won't boot.

Regardless of why your BIOS password was set, there's likely a workaround. Some fixes are free while others you'll have to pay for. Som...

Digg This!     StumbleUpon     Del.icio.us

RELATED CONTENT User passwords and network permissions 20 days to a more secure enterprise Eight is too many characters for strong passwords Nine common password oversights to avoid Secure your Windows systems with proper password practices Managing multiple passwords in Windows Windows desktop endpoint security challenges podcast series How to strike a balance between Windows security and business needs Managing single sign-on security burdens in Windows Build secure computer password policies Remote user security checklist

RELATED GLOSSARY TERMS Terms from Whatis.com − the technology online dictionary key-value pair  (SearchEnterpriseDesktop.com)

RELATED RESOURCES 2020software.com, trial software downloads for accounting software, ERP software, CRM software and business software systems Search Bitpipe.com for the latest white papers and business webcasts Whatis.com, the online computer dictionary

e fixes are simple while others require you to be mechanically inclined. It'll very well cost you time and/or money, but it's hard to put a price on a non-functioning computer -- especially if it means your efforts could be better spent elsewhere.

I'll forewarn you: There are a lot of good BIOS password hacking and cracking resources on the Web -- several of which I link to in this guide. As with most things, the resources offer some good advice and some bad. Performing some actions can really lock you out of your computer -- to the extent of damaging your hardware and being forced into a service call, so proceed with caution. Also, be careful handling any computer hardware; you can destroy the sensitive circuitry inside the computer with static electricity coming from your hands. It could end up bleeding from the sharp metal that's inside the computer case! Keep in mind that attempting any of these steps can potentially void your computer's warranty as well.

So, if you're up for the challenge, try the following steps to hack, crack or otherwise reset your unwanted BIOS password.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kevin Beaver, CISSP, is an independent information security consultant, author and speaker with Atlanta-based Principle Logic LLC. He has more than 18 years of experience in IT and specializes in performing information security assessments. Beaver has written five books including Hacking For Dummies (Wiley), Hacking Wireless Networks For Dummies, (Wiley) and The Practical Guide to HIPAA Privacy and Security Compliance (Auerbach). He can be reached at kbeaver@principlelogic.com.
Copyright 2006 TechTarget