PASSWORD README NOTES                               07/29/89


This will be complicated.  How's that statement for a program.  But it
has to be complicated for security.  Making the Amiga secure is impossible. 
But with work, you can make it complicated enough to discourage anyone from
being able to boot your system.  Actually booting the system is easy, but if
you set your system up properly using this password program, you will need
the correct password to obtain full access to the Amiga.

To really install this program correctly, you need to be quite familiar with
the CLI and your startup-sequence.

This program can be better, but then it loses portability to every Amiga. 
My personal version of the program contains all of my startup-sequence in
system calls.  In fact, even the command to mount my hard-drive is in the
password program.  This way, if someone tries to boot my system without
knowing the password, they must know how to mount the hard-drive too.
I've got a few other traps worked out which will be described later.

I have not included the source code to this program like I have with
everything else I've ever uploaded.  This is my most complicated program,
yet for security reasons, I won't release the source.  I have worked out a
good algorithm for the password encoding and don't want to just give it
away.

Install the program and change the password.  View the password file.  It
looks like a bunch of garbage.  Then change the password to something else
and then back to the original password.  View the file again, it's
different!

Since I wrote the program and am very familiar with CLI and batch files, I
can think of many ways to get around the program (which I won't totally
describe).  But real knowledge is required to circumvent the program, do
your kids or wife or friends have this knowledge?  

There is a back-door into this program.  There is a maintenance password
that will always work no matter if the user password is known or not.
This means that if anyone else has these documents, they have the
maintenance password and access to your computer.  See password.doc for
more information on the maintenance password.

If you want a really secure version (as secure as it can get), you will need
a custom version for your particular application.  Your entire startup-
sequence needs to be incorporated in the password program using system
calls.  You will also get a unique maintenance password of your choice.  
This can be quite effective if you have a hard-drive and don't auto-boot.

For a custom version of the program send $25 and a blank disk or $30
without a disk.  I will need a copy of your startup-sequence(s) and what
your want your maintenance password to be.  Please include your telephone
number in case I have any questions about your requirements.  I will write
you a custom version of the program and mail it back to you.  If you have
any questions about this before sending any money, just contact me.

If there is any interest, future releases will be more like the UNIX version
of passwd.  The user will be required to enter a login and then a password.
This will allow the system administrator (you) to log every persons use
of the computer by login.  Each user will have their own unique changeable
password.  This will provide one more level of security.

Good luck, and feel free to contact me if you need any help getting setup.



                        George Kerber
                        19756 E. Linvale Drive
                        Aurora, CO  80013
                        303-620-2027

                        Compuserve: 74010,2132


FYI:  I recently got divorced and discovered that my wife had been in my
      computer deleting files and gathering information.  Although she no
      longer has access to my computer, no one else will ever use my 
      computer without my permission or against me....