Just a quick question. What do you guys do when you have to leave your
laptop at the repair shop? Do you create a new user for them, you
give them your user and password and hope for the best, ask them to use
a live CD? What?

Manolo

--

On Thu, 2012-09-20 at 20:38 -0400, Manolo Martínez wrote:
> Just a quick question. What do you guys do when you have to leave your
> laptop at the repair shop? Do you create a new user for them, you
> give them your user and password and hope for the best, ask them to use
> a live CD? What?

Is your Arch Linux installation and your data completely encrypted? Just
by using a live CD they could access everything that isn't encrypted .

Usually working for a repair shop does mean, that there is no time to
take a look at the customers data. The repairman isn't interested in
your browsers history. If you have serious data on your laptop, not
encrypted economic espionage or something like that, then remove the
hard disk.

Regards,
Ralf

On Thu, Sep 20, 2012 at 9:51 PM, Ralf Mardorf <ralf.mardorf@alice-dsl.net>wrote:

> On Thu, 2012-09-20 at 20:38 -0400, Manolo Martínez wrote:
> Do you create a new user for them, you
> > give them your user and password and hope for the best, ask them to use
> > a live CD? What?
>
>
WHAT? You can't be so naive dude, I would promptly give my life than my
pwd!!! Which reminds me: http://xkcd.com/538/

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On 20/09/12 21:38, Manolo Martínez wrote:
> Just a quick question. What do you guys do when you have to leave
> your laptop at the repair shop? Do you create a new user for them,
> you give them your user and password and hope for the best, ask
> them to use a live CD? What?
>
> Manolo
>

I usually try to fix my things, but if I have to give it to some kind
of tech support I just change the disk.

- --
Angel Velásquez
angvp @ irc.freenode.net
Linux Counter: #359909
http://www.angvp.com
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On 09/20/12 at 10:46pm, Martín Cigorraga wrote:
> On Thu, Sep 20, 2012 at 9:51 PM, Ralf Mardorf <ralf.mardorf@alice-dsl.net>wrote:
>
> > On Thu, 2012-09-20 at 20:38 -0400, Manolo Martínez wrote:
> > Do you create a new user for them, you
> > > give them your user and password and hope for the best, ask them to use
> > > a live CD? What?
> >
> >
> WHAT? You can't be so naive dude, I would promptly give my life than my
> pwd!!! Which reminds me: http://xkcd.com/538/

Yep, that's why I was asking. I think I'll just create another user for
them. This will at least protect my files from casual browsing. Although
Ralf's probably right they don't give a rat's ass.

Manolo
--

I just had my x220 repaired at a small place. I told them I used linux
exclusively and that I didn't want to give out my password. They understood
and everything went ok.

Typically they just want your password to verify that everything works and
maybe to run a quick system cleanup which is very common. In my case I was
having part of the screen fixed and obviously did not need it.

this is a good time to keep a small windows installation handy but empty
and just sent the grub default 2 windows when you are going to the shop
On Sep 20, 2012 9:55 PM, "Manolo Martínez" <manolo@austrohungaro.com> wrote:

> On 09/20/12 at 10:46pm, Martín Cigorraga wrote:
> > On Thu, Sep 20, 2012 at 9:51 PM, Ralf Mardorf <
> ralf.mardorf@alice-dsl.net>wrote:
> >
> > > On Thu, 2012-09-20 at 20:38 -0400, Manolo Martínez wrote:
> > > Do you create a new user for them, you
> > > > give them your user and password and hope for the best, ask them to
> use
> > > > a live CD? What?
> > >
> > >
> > WHAT? You can't be so naive dude, I would promptly give my life than my
> > pwd!!! Which reminds me: http://xkcd.com/538/
>
> Yep, that's why I was asking. I think I'll just create another user for
> them. This will at least protect my files from casual browsing. Although
> Ralf's probably right they don't give a rat's ass.
>
> Manolo
> --
>

If it's not encrypted, creating another user does you no good, since anyone
with physical access to the computer can easily access all the files by
simply using a LiveCD, for example...

Just assume the worst at all times, and you will be fine!

On Fri, Sep 21, 2012 at 2:54 AM, Manolo Martínez
<manolo@austrohungaro.com>wrote:

> On 09/20/12 at 10:46pm, Martín Cigorraga wrote:
> > On Thu, Sep 20, 2012 at 9:51 PM, Ralf Mardorf <
> ralf.mardorf@alice-dsl.net>wrote:
> >
> > > On Thu, 2012-09-20 at 20:38 -0400, Manolo Martínez wrote:
> > > Do you create a new user for them, you
> > > > give them your user and password and hope for the best, ask them to
> use
> > > > a live CD? What?
> > >
> > >
> > WHAT? You can't be so naive dude, I would promptly give my life than my
> > pwd!!! Which reminds me: http://xkcd.com/538/
>
> Yep, that's why I was asking. I think I'll just create another user for
> them. This will at least protect my files from casual browsing. Although
> Ralf's probably right they don't give a rat's ass.
>
> Manolo
> --
>

On Sep 21, 2012 2:39 AM, "Manolo Martínez" <manolo@austrohungaro.com> wrote:
>
> Just a quick question. What do you guys do when you have to leave your
> laptop at the repair shop? Do you create a new user for them, you
> give them your user and password and hope for the best, ask them to use
> a live CD? What?

Remove the HDD. Otherwise they might get the idea to wipe it or something
equally stupid.

If you are concerned about privacy then creating a separate user won't make
much difference long add they have the hardware.

Tom

Thanks to everyone for the comments. Let me say, lest I'm taken to be
even more clueless than I am, that I am aware that live CDs and
alternative users are no real protection. They will probably work as a
signal that I'd prefer my data not to be browsed, though, and that's enough for
me, I think.

M

On 09/21/12 at 12:26am, Calvin Morrison wrote:
> I just had my x220 repaired at a small place. I told them I used linux
> exclusively and that I didn't want to give out my password. They understood
> and everything went ok.
>
> Typically they just want your password to verify that everything works and
> maybe to run a quick system cleanup which is very common. In my case I was
> having part of the screen fixed and obviously did not need it.
>
> this is a good time to keep a small windows installation handy but empty
> and just sent the grub default 2 windows when you are going to the shop
> On Sep 20, 2012 9:55 PM, "Manolo Martínez" <manolo@austrohungaro.com> wrote:
>
> > On 09/20/12 at 10:46pm, Martín Cigorraga wrote:
> > > On Thu, Sep 20, 2012 at 9:51 PM, Ralf Mardorf <
> > ralf.mardorf@alice-dsl.net>wrote:
> > >
> > > > On Thu, 2012-09-20 at 20:38 -0400, Manolo Martínez wrote:
> > > > Do you create a new user for them, you
> > > > > give them your user and password and hope for the best, ask them to
> > use
> > > > > a live CD? What?
> > > >
> > > >
> > > WHAT? You can't be so naive dude, I would promptly give my life than my
> > > pwd!!! Which reminds me: http://xkcd.com/538/
> >
> > Yep, that's why I was asking. I think I'll just create another user for
> > them. This will at least protect my files from casual browsing. Although
> > Ralf's probably right they don't give a rat's ass.
> >
> > Manolo
> > --
> >

--

Op 21 sep. 2012 03:47 schreef "Martín Cigorraga" <msx@archlinux.us> het
volgende:
>
> On Thu, Sep 20, 2012 at 9:51 PM, Ralf Mardorf <ralf.mardorf@alice-dsl.net
>wrote:
>
> > On Thu, 2012-09-20 at 20:38 -0400, Manolo Martínez wrote:
> > Do you create a new user for them, you
> > > give them your user and password and hope for the best, ask them to
use
> > > a live CD? What?
> >
> >
> WHAT? You can't be so naive dude, I would promptly give my life than my
> pwd!!! Which reminds me: http://xkcd.com/538/

;-)
Thats also known as "rubber hose cryptanalysis". The name says it all.

mvg, Guus