No password protection on a removed hard drive?

[Guest David]

I am going to have some hardware repairs done on my laptop. In order to make

sure I will not lose any data, I removed the hard drive from the laptop, put

it into a hard drive enclosure, and connected it to a USB port on my desktop

computer. I was able to back up all the HD data from the laptop onto the

desktop.

 

I was able to access the data for all users on the laptop without having to

enter any user account passwords.

 

Does this mean that if someone were to steal my laptop and they wanted to

get access to the data for all my user accounts, all they would have to do

is remove the HD, connect it to another computer, and then copy all

unencrypted data?

 

To put it another way: Is the protection provided by user account passwords

only effective when the hard drive is installed in the computer on which

those user accounts are established?

 

David

[Guest FromTheRafters]

"David" <davmay@sympatico.ca> wrote in message

news:OYvj11JsJHA.4592@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...<span style="color:blue">

>I am going to have some hardware repairs done on my laptop. In order to

>make sure I will not lose any data, I removed the hard drive from the

>laptop, put it into a hard drive enclosure, and connected it to a USB

>port on my desktop computer. I was able to back up all the HD data from

>the laptop onto the desktop.

>

> I was able to access the data for all users on the laptop without

> having to enter any user account passwords.

>

> Does this mean that if someone were to steal my laptop and they wanted

> to get access to the data for all my user accounts, all they would

> have to do is remove the HD, connect it to another computer, and then

> copy all unencrypted data?</span>

 

They wouldn't have to remove the harddrive - only to boot from another

OS on a LiveCD disk.

<span style="color:blue">

> To put it another way: Is the protection provided by user account

> passwords only effective when the hard drive is installed in the

> computer on which those user accounts are established?</span>

 

Not even on that computer - that computer running a separate software

environment is enough.

 

Encryption is king.

[Guest Bruce Chambers]

David wrote:<span style="color:blue">

> I am going to have some hardware repairs done on my laptop. In order to

> make sure I will not lose any data, I removed the hard drive from the

> laptop, put it into a hard drive enclosure, and connected it to a USB

> port on my desktop computer. I was able to back up all the HD data from

> the laptop onto the desktop.

>

> I was able to access the data for all users on the laptop without having

> to enter any user account passwords.

>

> Does this mean that if someone were to steal my laptop and they wanted

> to get access to the data for all my user accounts, all they would have

> to do is remove the HD, connect it to another computer, and then copy

> all unencrypted data?

>

> To put it another way: Is the protection provided by user account

> passwords only effective when the hard drive is installed in the

> computer on which those user accounts are established?

>

> David</span>

 

 

It wouldn't matter whether or not the hard were to be removed from the

laptop. Without physical security, there is NO security. If your

laptop or its hard drive is mislaid or stolen, your data can easily be

accessed by anyone with a small amount of knowledge and the correct

tools. User account passwords are essentially useless; they're

certainly no deterrent to the dozens of free, Linux-based password

cracking utilities readily available to anyone who can use Google. Even

encryption is no 100% guarantee of security, although it would serve to

discourage the casual thief.

 

 

--

 

Bruce Chambers

 

Help us help you:

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http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375

 

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary

safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

 

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

 

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has

killed a great many philosophers.

~ Denis Diderot

[Guest Gary G. Little]

That's a great big Ten-Four good buddy. Unless you encrypt the data, and

that is best done with a full disk encrypting hard drive, the HDD can be

accessed via any number of means other than physically removing it from the

laptop.

 

--

The personal opinion of

Gary G. Little

 

"David" <davmay@sympatico.ca> wrote in message

news:OYvj11JsJHA.4592@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...<span style="color:blue">

>I am going to have some hardware repairs done on my laptop. In order to

>make sure I will not lose any data, I removed the hard drive from the

>laptop, put it into a hard drive enclosure, and connected it to a USB port

>on my desktop computer. I was able to back up all the HD data from the

>laptop onto the desktop.

>

> I was able to access the data for all users on the laptop without having

> to enter any user account passwords.

>

> Does this mean that if someone were to steal my laptop and they wanted to

> get access to the data for all my user accounts, all they would have to do

> is remove the HD, connect it to another computer, and then copy all

> unencrypted data?

>

> To put it another way: Is the protection provided by user account

> passwords only effective when the hard drive is installed in the computer

> on which those user accounts are established?

>

> David </span>