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1993-07-15
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SIMPLE PASSWORD
===================
(v 1.7 15-Jul-1993)
by
Maurizio Ammannato
Registered to Maurizio's House 1993
(GEnie Mail Address = M.AMMANNATO)
HAPPYWARE CONCEPT
=================
My personal concept of HAPPYWARE is to deliver a fully working package at
$0 licence fee to enjoy together this fantastic opportunity to share ideas
and knowledge over physical, cultural, race and religious boundaries.
Use it as you want, but don't make any kind of profit on my work which
you've received free of charge.
MY PREFERRED SENTENCE
=====================
"Killing jobs is like to kill part of yourself. Let me know when you are
without legs and arms. I'll throw you my coin". (Oiziruam Otannamma)
Maurizio Ammannato
Via Concordia N.80
22049 Valmadrera (CO)
I T A L Y
---------------------
(Tel. 39-341-581081)
DESCRIPTION
===========
Any good password protection has the main problem that an intruder knows
that there is a PC password protection program. Then, if he is clever
enough.....
Well, my first objective was to let the intruder feel to be at the DOS
usual C:\=> prompt.
Now typing in any DOS command, he gets back (randomly) one of ten DOS
errors message. After a specified number (5) of wrong tries the PC goes
into an endless loop. The only way to go out of the loop is to reboot the
computer (Ctrl-C disabled). What we hope is that the intruder will think
something is wrong with the computer and try with another PC not as well
protected as your!
On the contrary giving the correct password will cause the program to exit
and to come back to usual DOS prompt or to continue the .BAT sequence.
RUNNING PW
==========
PW is designed to be run from your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Since batch files can
be terminated early by hitting Control-C, PW should run as early in your
AUTOEXEC.BAT as possible. This will give your intruder less opportunity to
cut it off. Ideally, PW should be proceeded only by ECHO OFF (or @ECHO OFF)
and by the PATH command if necessary.
CUSTOMIZING PW PASSWORD AND PROMPT
==================================
PW has the ciao password and the C> DOS prompt default values. If you
simply run PW without any parameter, you get the C> prompt and you have to
type ciao o quit PW. You can change both password and prompt using the
command line option :
C>PW maumau prompt C> (default) and paswword maumau
C>PW "C:\=>" prompt C:\=> and password ciao (default)
C>PW "A>" pippo /v prompt A> , password pippo and virus
emulation option ON
or in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file:
@echo off
c:\utility\pw "C:\=>" maumau
..............
..............
To let PW understand you want to change the default C> prompt you have to
write, just after the PW program name, the prompt you wish, enclosed into
two brackets (decimal 34) to don't enter in conflict with DOS piping
characters. For instance typing PW "A>" means you want the ciao default
password and the A> prompt.
If you want to change both prompt and password you have to write FIRSTLY
the prompt (ENCLOSED into two brackets) and THEN the new password (WITHOUT
any bracket).
If you want to hide the password when you are typing it (to don't let your
visitor to see it) type at PW prompt the ! character (decimal 33) BEFORE
the password, as first character. In this way PW doesn't print the password
on the screen.
VIRUS SIMULATION
================
You can also let your intruder get the feeling your PC is full of virus
putting a /v at the end of PW command line. After first attempt, a strange
character (from dec 1 up to dec 31) will appear randomly on the screen
simulating a famous virus family. At this point the intruder has really to
escape from your PC! The line command looks like :
PW "prompt" password /v
EXTRA SAFETY
============
To be 100% secure you should lock your bootable diskette device (usually
A:). Better if you can do it via an hardware mechanism because it's
tremendously dangerous to do it via software. In fact if for some reason
you cannot boot from usual hard disk C: device, you don't have any way to
access your PC.
To let your intruder being more confused, you can leave a bootable floppy
disk close to A: device with the PW program set up into the AUTOEXEC.BAT
file with the A: prompt, i.e. :
@echo off
pw "A:\>" pwpw
In this way, if the intruder trays to reboot from A: just to make another
attempt, he gets the same result as before.
FORGETTING PASSWORD
===================
If for some reason you forget the password typed in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file,
reboot from a bootable diskette in dev A:, look at your AUTOEXEC.BAT file
and change or remove the old password.
SCREEN SAVER
============
PW can be also used as a safe screen saver. When you have to take a break
or a lunch or to leave your PC unattended for a certain amount of time, you
have two problems : 1) you have to save your screen phosphorous and 2) you
have to avoid 'lunch-time intruders'.
Well, again, execute PW manually (or put PW as a screen saver in your
program manager) and go for lunch.
PW approximately each 5 minutes changes DOS prompt screen row (screen saver
function) and doesn't let any intruder to enter you PC without your
password (security function). You can set a different password each time
you leave your PC unattended using the command line option.