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xkcd #2869: Puzzles (imgs.xkcd.com)
submitted 2 years ago by to c/xkcd@lemmy.world
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https://xkcd.com/2869

Alt text:

Why couldn't the amulet have been hidden by Aunt Alice, who understands modern key exchange algorithms?

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[–] 51 points 2 years ago (9 children)

I can imagine you going *"Why didn't they just hit [Esc] to bypass the password prompt, open a DOS prompt and delete the password files in C:\Windows.pwl?"

(Yes, that was actually a thing you could do on early 90's Windows 3.0)

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  • [–] 25 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (3 children)

    Same with Windows 95 and Windows 98. Those operating systems were not really designed with a proper concept of 'user accounts'

    The password box wasn't supposed to prevent system access, it was to capture user credentials for networking, like remote fileshare access.

    Pressing escape is just choosing to continue anonymously.

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  • [–] 8 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    I believe even as far as XP and maybe 7 you could just make a new user account with admin privileges by creating it through command prompt and changing a single flag. I used this to get unfettered access to the remote hard drive server in high school and stole other people’s homework.

    It’s no wonder I ended up going the GED route lmao

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  • [–] 5 points 2 years ago (3 children)

    Even now if someone has physical access to your Windows computer and it has a USB port, they will get through.

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  • [–] 5 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    Not if you activated a BIOS password which blocks booting from USB (and can't be reset by jumpers or removing the CMOS battery on modern motherboards), or Bitlocker which blocks copying cmd.exe over the accessibility options.

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