[ale] Sunday 05-22-05 6PM RUN-AS-ROOT CHALLENGE

[Jim Popovitch]

On Thu, 2005-05-19 at 07:31 -0400, Geoffrey wrote:
> > 
> > 	- flashable hardware is still flashable.  Sure, some of them
> > 	  have worked around their issues, but does it make sense to
> > 	  assume they all have?  Nope.
> 
> Michael is correct.  Further, you can flash bios with something other 
> than the a bios update from the manufacturer.  Since this runs before 
> even the OS is seen, you can completely disable a computer, for good. 
> That is, without pulling the bios chip and reprogramming it.

Listen folks, the issue of total resiliency is not what this RUN-AS-ROOT
discussion is/was about.  A car could come through the wall and destroy
the computer.  Lighting could strike the powerline, hail could melt and
flood, the dog could chew..., the kid could put cheese in...., the mad
wife could pour bleach, etc., etc., etc.,  yada yada yada.

What hasn't been shown is how running as non-root prevents the permanent
LOSS OF DATA (the real value on a Desktop/laptop) any more so than
running as root.  

Re-flashing the BIOS is minor to rebuilding past work.

-Jim P.