NTFS Totally Insecure

Richard Coltrane · External Since: Jun 10, 2007 Posts: 4

Hello,

Ive aways thought NTFS protected my files from peering eyes but ive recenty
discovered that by simply installing Linux (Fedora 6) i can access any NTFS
volume regardless of the permission i set on it in XP/2003??

So if i have my laptop stolen my files are NOT secure. The thief just needs
to rip the hardrive out and connect to it via Linux and they have access to
all my supposedly secure information.

What a crock.

Richard

John John · External Since: Jun 05, 2004 Posts: 1937

Just because things don't work the way you "always thought" it doesn't
make it a crock! There never were any claims by Microsoft or other
knowledgeable user that NTFS files would be automatically protected as
you thought or that such a possibility even exists in NT4. Move to
Windows 2000 or better or use a third party utility and encrypt your files.

John

Richard Coltrane wrote:

> Hello,
>
> Ive aways thought NTFS protected my files from peering eyes but ive recenty
> discovered that by simply installing Linux (Fedora 6) i can access any NTFS
> volume regardless of the permission i set on it in XP/2003??
>
> So if i have my laptop stolen my files are NOT secure. The thief just needs
> to rip the hardrive out and connect to it via Linux and they have access to
> all my supposedly secure information.
>
> What a crock.
>
> Richard
>
>

Calvin · External Since: Feb 23, 2004 Posts: 313

Hi Richard,

Richard Coltrane wrote:
> Ive aways thought NTFS protected my files from peering eyes but ive recenty
> discovered that by simply installing Linux (Fedora 6) i can access any NTFS
> volume regardless of the permission i set on it in XP/2003??
>
> So if i have my laptop stolen my files are NOT secure. The thief just needs
> to rip the hardrive out and connect to it via Linux and they have access to
> all my supposedly secure information.
>
> What a crock.

I'm afraid there is NO news here !

NTFS permissions and related matters were to control access of files for
different users WITHIN the OS - NOT security from external access with
third party mounting and reading.

Short of encrypting the files at file system level (which I believe
Win2k+ can do) any OS will have this vulnerability. I can even read a
NTFS partition from a DOS machine with the appropriate software.

For NT4 systems (which doesn't have a file encryption capability
inbuilt) I suggest you look at CryptExt by Nick Payne (now a bit hard to
find - V3.4 was the last) to secure any sensitive files you have on your
laptop. At least then, in the event the laptop is stolen prying eyes
CAN'T look at the encrypted data.

Calvin.

Richard Coltrane · External Since: Jun 10, 2007 Posts: 4

No its a crock. Smile

"John John" <audetweld DeleteThis @nbnet.nb.ca> wrote in message
news:%23wTIOo0qHHA.5032@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> Just because things don't work the way you "always thought" it doesn't
> make it a crock! There never were any claims by Microsoft or other
> knowledgeable user that NTFS files would be automatically protected as you
> thought or that such a possibility even exists in NT4. Move to Windows
> 2000 or better or use a third party utility and encrypt your files.
>
> John
>
> Richard Coltrane wrote:
>
>> Hello,
>>
>> Ive aways thought NTFS protected my files from peering eyes but ive
>> recenty discovered that by simply installing Linux (Fedora 6) i can
>> access any NTFS volume regardless of the permission i set on it in
>> XP/2003??
>>
>> So if i have my laptop stolen my files are NOT secure. The thief just
>> needs to rip the hardrive out and connect to it via Linux and they have
>> access to all my supposedly secure information.
>>
>> What a crock.
>>
>> Richard

John John · External Since: Jun 05, 2004 Posts: 1937

Instead of believing anything that anyone tells you about the NT4
operating system you should do a bit of research to weed out fact from
fiction then draw informed conclusions! Your assertion now is that
because you were misinformed and because NT4 doesn't have features that
you want it is automatically a crock. The only honest advice that I can
give you now is that you should quickly leave NT4 alone and move
directly to Vista, or better yet buy a Mac. NT4 has a lot of
intricacies and your assertions are sure to hamper your successful
mastering of the venerable workhorse that is NT4.

John

Richard Coltrane wrote:
> No its a crock. Smile

>
> "John John" <audetweld RemoveThis @nbnet.nb.ca> wrote in message
> news:%23wTIOo0qHHA.5032@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>
>>Just because things don't work the way you "always thought" it doesn't
>>make it a crock! There never were any claims by Microsoft or other
>>knowledgeable user that NTFS files would be automatically protected as you
>>thought or that such a possibility even exists in NT4. Move to Windows
>>2000 or better or use a third party utility and encrypt your files.
>>
>>John
>>
>>Richard Coltrane wrote:
>>
>>
>>>Hello,
>>>
>>>Ive aways thought NTFS protected my files from peering eyes but ive
>>>recenty discovered that by simply installing Linux (Fedora 6) i can
>>>access any NTFS volume regardless of the permission i set on it in
>>>XP/2003??
>>>
>>>So if i have my laptop stolen my files are NOT secure. The thief just
>>>needs to rip the hardrive out and connect to it via Linux and they have
>>>access to all my supposedly secure information.
>>>
>>>What a crock.
>>>
>>>Richard
>
>
>

Not Me · External Since: Jun 13, 2007 Posts: 1

On Tue, 12 Jun 2007 08:30:05 -0300, John John <audetweld.DeleteThis@nbnet.nb.ca>
wrote:

>Instead of believing anything that anyone tells you about the NT4
>operating system you should do a bit of research to weed out fact from
>fiction then draw informed conclusions! Your assertion now is that
>because you were misinformed and because NT4 doesn't have features that
>you want it is automatically a crock. The only honest advice that I can
>give you now is that you should quickly leave NT4 alone and move
>directly to Vista, or better yet buy a Mac. NT4 has a lot of
>intricacies and your assertions are sure to hamper your successful
>mastering of the venerable workhorse that is NT4.

Please don't feed the trolls. Smile

Richard Coltrane · External Since: Jun 10, 2007 Posts: 4

Hi

Thanks for your concern John and you're right. When something is as big a
crock as this then a change is surely required.

"John John" <audetweld RemoveThis @nbnet.nb.ca> wrote in message
news:%23dXUGTOrHHA.3492@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> Instead of believing anything that anyone tells you about the NT4
> operating system you should do a bit of research to weed out fact from
> fiction then draw informed conclusions! Your assertion now is that
> because you were misinformed and because NT4 doesn't have features that
> you want it is automatically a crock. The only honest advice that I can
> give you now is that you should quickly leave NT4 alone and move directly
> to Vista, or better yet buy a Mac. NT4 has a lot of intricacies and your
> assertions are sure to hamper your successful mastering of the venerable
> workhorse that is NT4.
>
> John
>
> Richard Coltrane wrote:
>> No its a crock. Smile

>>
>> "John John" <audetweld RemoveThis @nbnet.nb.ca> wrote in message
>> news:%23wTIOo0qHHA.5032@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>>
>>>Just because things don't work the way you "always thought" it doesn't
>>>make it a crock! There never were any claims by Microsoft or other
>>>knowledgeable user that NTFS files would be automatically protected as
>>>you thought or that such a possibility even exists in NT4. Move to
>>>Windows 2000 or better or use a third party utility and encrypt your
>>>files.
>>>
>>>John
>>>
>>>Richard Coltrane wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>Hello,
>>>>
>>>>Ive aways thought NTFS protected my files from peering eyes but ive
>>>>recenty discovered that by simply installing Linux (Fedora 6) i can
>>>>access any NTFS volume regardless of the permission i set on it in
>>>>XP/2003??
>>>>
>>>>So if i have my laptop stolen my files are NOT secure. The thief just
>>>>needs to rip the hardrive out and connect to it via Linux and they have
>>>>access to all my supposedly secure information.
>>>>
>>>>What a crock.
>>>>
>>>>Richard
>>
>>
>>
>

Richard Coltrane · External Since: Jun 10, 2007 Posts: 4

John wasn't trolling. A little too patronizing my liking but not trolling.

"Not Me" <Notme.DeleteThis@bitbucket.gone> wrote in message
news:jh3073too0b56g46m7g3ov1fr8qje39eti@4ax.com...
> On Tue, 12 Jun 2007 08:30:05 -0300, John John <audetweld.DeleteThis@nbnet.nb.ca>
> wrote:
>
>>Instead of believing anything that anyone tells you about the NT4
>>operating system you should do a bit of research to weed out fact from
>>fiction then draw informed conclusions! Your assertion now is that
>>because you were misinformed and because NT4 doesn't have features that
>>you want it is automatically a crock. The only honest advice that I can
>>give you now is that you should quickly leave NT4 alone and move
>>directly to Vista, or better yet buy a Mac. NT4 has a lot of
>>intricacies and your assertions are sure to hamper your successful
>>mastering of the venerable workhorse that is NT4.
>
> Please don't feed the trolls. Smile

Joshua Bolton · External Since: Apr 11, 2006 Posts: 62

There is no OS that can protect your files if there is physical access. No
one ever made the claim that the file system secures your files at the
physical level.

You misunderstood the information you were provided. It was your mistake
not someone else's.