single user mode ?

wr3ck3d · 03-28-2003, 12:13 PM

I have read that if you enter 'linux single' at the lilo prompt it will automatically log you in and you will be root. I tried this and it still gives me a login prompt. If I enter root, I still need a pass. The only difference is that once i do log in (with my account or root using passwords for both) it says

wr3ck3d@(none):$

I can also switch about tty's......So what am I doing wrong??? Does this not work with Slackware?? I also tried 'linux -s" and got same results.

thanks

jpbarto · 03-28-2003, 01:23 PM

could you just use 'telinit 1' to move the computer into single-user mode?

bahamat · 03-28-2003, 02:47 PM

Newer versions of init will require the root password before passing to a shell in single user mode. Otherwise it'd be much too easy to to crack a box you had physical access to.

You can get around this by issuing init=/bin/bash at your boot prompt (doh! so much for security!).

To prevent the bash trick, in lilo.conf set all of your boot images to restricted (then you have to provide a password to alter boot params) or passworded (where you have to use a password to boot that image, and no changes allowed).

wr3ck3d · 03-28-2003, 05:46 PM

So instead of 'linux single' they changed it to 'init=/bin/bash'???

I'm not worried about anyone breaking into my computer at my house.

cuckoopint · 03-28-2003, 06:00 PM

Quote:

I have read that if you enter 'linux single' at the lilo prompt it will automatically log you in and you will be root. I tried this and it still gives me a login prompt. If I enter root, I still need a pass. The only difference is that once i do log in (with my account or root using passwords for both) it says

check your /etc/inittab. This file is parsed even for single user boot, and I'm guessing your single user boot is still setup to login.
For example, my inittab has a

# What to do in single-user mode.

how conventient.
; )

bahamat · 03-29-2003, 09:52 AM

at the LILO prompt type "Linux init=/bin/bash"