Oracle-L: Re: Hiding passwords

From: Nuno Souto <nsouto_at_optusnet.com.au>
Date: Wed, 24 Sep 2003 06:29:39 -0800
Message-ID: <F001.005D0EDB.20030924062939@fatcity.com>

Original Message -----

>In Windows2000 you can encrypt a file... Not sure how well that would work
>though, since if you install your software as local administrator (not good
>practice) then anyone else who logs in as administrator would be able to see
>/ run the file too...

Here is a little known trick of NTFS file systems. It's called "data streams".

D:\>del file.txt
D:\>echo Some stuff > file.txt
D:\>echo and its password >file.txt:pwd
D:\>dir

Volume in drive D is OS
Volume Serial Number is A4BA-68F3
Directory of D:\

24/09/2003  11:19p                  13 file.txt

(note the file size!)
D:\>type file.txt
Some stuff
D:\>type file.txt:pwd
The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect. D:\>more <file.txt:pwd
and its password
D:\>

I'm sure there are some interesting uses to be explored here to hide Oracle passwords! ;)
Note: the hidden data stream name can be ANY filename string and is subject to security. This was used initially in NTFS to support the Mac resource fork file format in file servers. It is still there and won't go away any time soon as IIS uses it.

MS Knowledge base article 105763 discusses this in detail. You can also search google for some details. Use "alternate data streams". Careful: this is used by some virus writers!!!

Cheers
Nuno Souto
nsouto_at_optusnet.com.au

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-- 
Author: Nuno Souto
  INET: nsouto_at_optusnet.com.au

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Received on Wed Sep 24 2003 - 09:29:39 CDT