HTCIA releases 2010 Report on Cyber Crime Investigation

The US High Technology Crime Investigation Association (HTCIA) surveyed its 3100+ membership about a variety of issues, including their levels of experience and training, their job functions, and the problems they experience in their day-to-day work. Of those members, 429 responded to the survey, a 13.7% response rate. HTCIA is the largest organization worldwide dedicated to the advancement of training, education and information sharing information between law enforcement and corporate cybercrime investigators.

http://www.htcia.org/pdfs/2010survey_report.pdf

The survey’s major findings included:

Increase in criminal use of digital technology

Use of digital technologies to commit crimes has risen over the last five years. So have various types of digital crime. (Most survey respondents have worked in cyber crime investigation or digital forensics for at least the last five years, and so are qualified to estimate increases in their workloads.) While problems such as cyberbullying and stalking remain the purview of law enforcement, fraud of all kinds is a shared concern across law enforcement and private organizations.

Lack of dedicated personnel

In most members’ organizations, fewer than five people are responsible for cyber crime investigations. Very often, they are assigned other duties too, so that they end up doing “a little of everything.” Such overlap leads to investigators performing digital forensic examinations, or digital forensic examiners spending time on investigations.

The reality is, investigators should be investigating, and forensic examiners should be analyzing. These issues are reflected in the comments of those who said more dedicated personnel are needed to manage investigations separately from evidence collection and analysis, and vice versa.

Need for better training at multiple levels

Many respondents did not indicate that more personnel were necessarily needed, but rather believed more training at all levels was important. A significant majority felt their colleagues’ training on cyber crimes was insufficient. In fact, respondents’ demands for their own training diverged from what they wanted to see for others in their organizations. For themselves, respondents want more training on digital forensics, online investigations, and computer and network security. For their colleagues, they want to see training on online investigations, collection and imaging of digital evidence, and on-site evidence preview or triage. Comments show that respondents believe training more people to handle digital evidence will reduce their backlogs, which most said were under six months’ wait time. There is also a need for better public education, including employee training, about response to cyber crimes.

Training itself does not seem to be a problem. Most respondents rated the quality of their training as fair to good, and noted that they access training from a wide variety of sources: conferences, vendors, third-party providers, blogs or podcasts, and so forth. Likewise, hardware and software tools used for cyber crime and digital forensic investigations was rated satisfactory.

Need for improvements in information sharing and collaboration

Collaboration is regular and frequent among respondents, who reported that the majority of their collaborative activities include information sharing and assistance or advice seeking. Much of this, however, happens among local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, as well as regional task forces. Collaboration with academic institutions or private companies is far less common, along with outsourcing digital forensic work or assisting a company in a criminal investigation.

Need for better reporting, strategy and policy

Although two-thirds of respondents say their organizations have all three in place, the survey was not designed to determine variations in those measures. This is a concern because no standard, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) mechanism, exists for cyber crime reporting. Corporations governed by regulatory requirements for information security (for example, in the financial and healthcare industries) should have measures in place as required, but very little exists in as to what the policy should look like.

CloudCamp Montreal videos

This was recorded in Montreal on June 4th 2010 at Cloudcamp Montreal at the University of Sherbrooke’s Longueuil Campus on the south shore of Montreal.

Ce vidéo a été réalisé le 4 juin 2010 au CloudCamp de Montréal qui s’est tenu à l’Université de Sherbrooke, campus de Longueuil en banlieue de Montréal.

Part 1: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xdkgn2_cloudcamp-montreal-2010_tech

Part 2: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xdklsm_cloudcamp-montreal-2010-unpannel-pa_tech

CloudCamp is an unconference where early adopters of Cloud Computing technologies exchange ideas. With the rapid change occurring in the industry, we need a place where we can meet to share our experiences, challenges and solutions. At CloudCamp, you are encouraged to share your thoughts in several open discussions, as we strive for the advancement of Cloud Computing. End users, IT professionals and vendors are all encouraged to participate.

CloudCamp est une non-conférence où se retrouvent les premiers utilisateurs (early adopters) des technologies informatiques dématérialisés, le cloud, pour échanger. Avec les nombreux changements rapides survenus dans l’industrie, nous avons besoin d’un lieu de rencontre pour partager nos expériences, défis et solutions. À CloudCamp, nous vous encourageons à partager vos idées dans un forum de discussions ouvertes, afin de faire la promotion du Cloud Computing. Les utilisateurs, les professionnels et les vendeurs sont tous encouragés à participer.

Marc-Andre Leger,
Lecturer, Université de Sherbrooke
Professor, Champlain College (Saint-Lambert)
Founder of the Université Populaire du Québec (Non-profit)
Volunteer at iMusée de l’informatique du Québec

CloudCamp

CloudCamp est une non-conférence où se retrouvent les premiers utilisateurs (early adopters) des technologies informatiques dématérialisés, le cloud, pour échanger. Avec les nombreux changements rapides survenus dans l’industrie, nous avons besoin d’un lieu de rencontre pour partager nos expériences, défis et solutions. À CloudCamp, nous vous encourageons à partager vos idées dans un forum de discussions ouvertes, afin de faire la promotion du Cloud Computing. Les utilisateurs, les professionnels et les vendeurs sont tous encouragés à participer.

Location – Lieu:
Université De Sherbrooke
, Longueuil Campus
150, place Charles le Moyne
Longueuil, Québec, Canada
J4K 5G4

Directions:
Located at the Longueuil-Université de Sherbrooke Metro station (Public transport). It can also be accessed by car via the Jacques-Cartier bridge.

Live Webcast – diffusion Web: RiskTV (in english) LegerTV (in French)

Buy a T-shirt to help us finance the event: http://www.cafepress.ca/CloudMontreal

Organizers – Comité organisateur:

This event is organized by the Graduate program in IT Governance, Audit and Security.
Cet événement est organisé par le programme en Gouvernance, Audit et Sécurité des TI.

Marc-Andre Leger,  Lecturer, Université de Sherbrooke (Marc’s page there)
                                    Professor, Champlain College (Saint-Lambert)
                                    Founder of the Université Populaire du Québec (Non-profit)
                                    Volunteer at iMusée de l’informatique du Québec
                                    Personal page:  www.leger.ca
                                    Telephone: +1(514)824-6302

Régent Vaillancourt, Consultant in IT security
                                      Candidat à la Maîtrise en Administration
                                      (Gouvernance, Audit et Sécurité TI)

Anassou Abokou,    M.Sc., DESS, ITIL Foundation, ABCP
                                    Analyste en gouvernance de la sécurité informatique
                                    TELUS Solutions d’affaires

Hélène Blouin, Fondation de recherche Léger

Event schedule (Proposed) – Horaire anticipé

     9h00 registration
     9h30 Opening address
     10h00 Lightning talks (limited to 5 minutes)
     11h00 Un-panel

     12h00 Lunch

     13h00 Breakout sessions 1
     14h00 Breakout sessions 2
     15h00 Roundup: One person from every breakout session comes
                  to present a summary and/or the results from their group.

      16h00 Closing remarks
                   talk about what we should do next to promote the cloud in Montréal
                   followed by a Cocktail (13th floor salon)

Data loss stories

April 19, 2010

Nashville identity Theft Examiner – Brandon King | 157,000 BlueCross BlueShield members were recently sent letters informing them their nightmare was just beginning.

In October of last year, 57 hard drives were pilfered from a closet at
a Chattanooga, Tenne … continued.

Laptops with medical data stolen

April 7, 2010

San Francisco Chronicle | The theft of two laptops containing sensitive health information
about more than 5,000 patients in the John Muir hospital system is just
one of a number of recent incidents involving stolen medical data. … continued.

National Guard data missing

March 4, 2010

Arkansas Times Blog |The Arkansas National Guard says personal information on 35,000 current and former Guard members (dating back to 1991) was contained in an external hard drive reported missing Feb. 22. There’s no evidence that the device was stolen or being used for ill … continued.

State attorney general enforces general HIPAA regulations under HITECH

January 14, 2010

FierceHealthcare | In the first case of a state attorney general enforcing
general HIPAA regulations under HITECH, Connecticut Attorney General
Richard Blumenthal this week sued Health Net of Connecticut
for misplacing the medical and financia … continued.

Health Net data loss second major insurer breach of 2009

December 7, 2009

AMERICAN MEDICAL NEWS | Health Net in November announced that thousands of its members and network physicians could be at risk for identity theft due to a lost portable disk drive that the company said had « gone missing » six months earlier. … continued.

Army Guard to Inform Members of Data Loss

Aug 4, 2009

ARLINGTON, Va. -
Members of the Army National Guard who could be affected by the theft
of a laptop containing their personal data, will be notified through an
official letter, Guard officials said here today. … continued.

OESC Employee Loses 5500 Social Security Numbers

Apr 22, 2009

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission says the
Social Security numbers of more than 5,500 people is on a flashdrive
that was lost by an employee.Commission spokesman John Carpenter says
the employee put the information on a flashdrive after his laptop … continued.

Orthopedic Practice has Patient Records Stolen

Apr 11, 2009

SALISBURY — As many as 100,000 patients of Peninsula Orthopaedic
Associates are being warned to protect themselves against identity
theft after tapes containing patient information were stolen.
In a letter mailed this week, Chief Executive Officer Brian K. Mathias
t … continued.

Thief Steals Patient Records

Feb 18, 2009

COLUMBUS, Ohio-Nearly two dozen medical records were stolen from a
doctor’s car.
Parents questioned why the records were taken from the hospital in the
first place.
NBC 4′s Lauren Diedrich GOT ANSWERS.
Diedrich went to Nationwide Children’s Hospital to find out how the
continued.

Bank Cannot Find Six Backup Tapes

May 7, 2008

WASHINGTON – More than 1,300 SAIC stockholders are at risk of
identity theft after a box of magnetic backup tapes went missing in New
Jersey earlier this year. … continued.

Lost Computer Data Prompts Firm to Notify 3,500

Mar 26, 2008

THE BALTIMORE SUN | A Pittsburgh-based shareholder
services firm has notified about 3,500 individuals — some of them
Maryland residents — that the company lost a box of computer data
tapes last month storing personal informat … continued.

Missing Backup Tape on 650,000 Customers

Jan 16, 2008

PLANO, TX (AP) | Personal
information on about 650,000 customers of J.C. Penney and up to 100
other retailers could be compromised after a computer tape went
missing. GE Money, which handl … continued.

Hartford Financial Services Data Breach Affecting Ohio Consumers

Nov 8, 2007

Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. policyholders in Ohio were
included in a data security breach the company discovered last month,
the Ohio Department of Insurance announced Monday.

The Hartford, Conn.-based insurer misplaced three backup tapes that
con … continued.

JP Morgan Loses Clients’ Data

May 5, 2007

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL | JP Morgan Chase has alerted thousands of
its Chicago-area millionaire clients, as well as some of its own
employees, that it cannot locate a computer tape containing their
account information and Social Security numbers.

The tape, wh … continued.

Computer technician accidentally wipes out info on Alaska’s $38 billion fund

Apr 20, 2007

JUNEAU, Alaska: Perhaps you know that sinking feeling when a
single keystroke accidentally destroys hours of work. Now imagine
wiping out a disk drive containing information for an account worth $38
billion. … continued.

Secretary of State Recovers Thousands of ‘Active’ Fulton County Voter Registration Cards

Apr 11, 2007

Atlanta, GA (April 11, 2007) – Secretary of State Karen Handel today
initiated an investigation regarding the disposal of approximately
75,000 voter registration application cards. The investigation will be
led by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), in conjunction w … continued.

Pension data loss could put DCH employees, retirees at risk

Apr 5, 2007

TUSCALOOSA | The social security numbers and other personal
identification data of 6,000 DCH Health System employees are missing
raising concerns about the possibility of identity theft.

An encrypted disc and hardcopy documents containing the personal
identif … continued.

Hospital Being Sued Over Stolen Medical Records

Feb 2, 2006

Providence Health System based in Oregon now faces charges that it
was negligent in securing patient files when some 365,000 medical
records were taken when a hospital employee’s car – which contained the
files – was stolen. Portland resistant Laurie Paul filed a suit earli … continued.

Clearing a BIOS

At command prompt type debug
you will get a – prompt where you can type the fallowing ( means hit enter, not type enter*)

A
MOV AX,0
MOV AX,CX
OUT 70,AL
MOV AX,0
OUT 71,AL
INC CX
CMP CX,100
JB 103
INT 20
just hit enter on this line
G
Q

Basic BIOS password crack – works 9.9 times out of ten

This is a password hack but it clears the BIOS such that the next time you start the PC, the CMOS does not ask for any password. Now if you are able to bring the DOS prompt up, then you will be able to change the BIOS setting to the default. To clear the CMOS do the following:
Get DOS prompt and type:
DEBUG hit enter
-o 70 2e hit enter
-o 71 ff hit enter
-q hit enter
exit hit enter
Restart the computer. It works on most versions of the AWARD BIOS.

Accessing information on the hard disk

When you turn on the host machine, enter the CMOS setup menu (usually you have to press F2, or DEL, or CTRL+ALT+S during the boot sequence) and go to STANDARD CMOS SETUP, and set the channel to which you have put the hard disk as TYPE=Auto, MODE=AUTO, then SAVE & EXIT SETUP. Now you have access to the hard disk.

Standard BIOS backdoor passwords

The first, less invasive, attempt to bypass a BIOS password is to try on of these standard manufacturer’s backdoor passwords:
AWARD BIOS
AWARD SW, AWARD_SW, Award SW, AWARD PW, _award, awkward, J64, j256, j262, j332, j322, 01322222, 589589, 589721, 595595, 598598, HLT, SER, SKY_FOX, aLLy, aLLY, Condo, CONCAT, TTPTHA, aPAf, HLT, KDD, ZBAAACA, ZAAADA, ZJAAADC, djonet, %øåñòü ïpîáåëîâ%, %äåâÿòü ïpîáåëîâ%
AMI BIOS
AMI, A.M.I., AMI SW, AMI_SW, BIOS, PASSWORD, HEWITT RAND, Oder
Other passwords you may try (for AMI/AWARD or other BIOSes)
LKWPETER, lkwpeter, BIOSTAR, biostar, BIOSSTAR, biosstar, ALFAROME, Syxz, Wodj
Note that the key associated to « _ » in the US keyboard corresponds to « ? » in some European keyboards (such as Italian and German ones), so — for example — you should type AWARD?SW when using those keyboards. Also remember that passwords are Case Sensitive. The last two passwords in the AWARD BIOS list are in Russian.

Flashing BIOS via software

If you have access to the computer when it’s turned on, you could try one of those programs that remove the password from the BIOS, by invalidating its memory.
However, it might happen you don’t have one of those programs when you have access to the computer, so you’d better learn how to do manually what they do. You can reset the BIOS to its default values using the MS-DOS tool DEBUG (type DEBUG at the command prompt. You’d better do it in pure MS-DOS mode, not from a MS-DOS shell window in Windows). Once you are in the debug environment enter the following commands:
AMI/AWARD BIOS
O 70 17
O 71 17
Q
PHOENIX BIOS
O 70 FF
O 71 17
Q
GENERIC
Invalidates CMOS RAM.
Should work on all AT motherboards
(XT motherboards don’t have CMOS)
O 70 2E
O 71 FF
Q
Note that the first letter is a « O » not the number « 0″. The numbers which follow are two bytes in hex format.

Flashing BIOS via hardware

If you can’t access the computer when it’s on, and the standard backdoor passwords didn’t work, you’ll have to flash the BIOS via hardware. Please read the important notes at the end of this section before to try any of these methods.

Using the jumpers

The canonical way to flash the BIOS via hardware is to plug, unplug, or switch a jumper on the motherboard (for « switching a jumper » I mean that you find a jumper that joins the central pin and a side pin of a group of three pins, you should then unplug the jumper and then plug it to the central pin and to the pin on the opposite side, so if the jumper is normally on position 1-2, you have to put it on position 2-3, or vice versa). This jumper is not always located near to the BIOS, but could be anywhere on the motherboard.

To find the correct jumper you should read the motherboard’s manual.
Once you’ve located the correct jumper, switch it (or plug or unplug it, depending from what the manual says) while the computer is turned OFF. Wait a couple of seconds then put the jumper back to its original position. In some motherboards it may happen that the computer will automatically turn itself on, after flashing the BIOS. In this case, turn it off, and put the jumper back to its original position, then turn it on again. Other motherboards require you turn the computer on for a few seconds to flash the BIOS.

If you don’t have the motherboard’s manual, you’ll have to « brute force » it… trying out all the jumpers. In this case, try first the isolated ones (not in a group), the ones near to the BIOS, and the ones you can switch (as I explained before). If all them fail, try all the others. However, you must modify the status of only one jumper per attempt, otherwise you could damage the motherboard (since you don’t know what the jumper you modified is actually meant for). If the password request screen still appear, try another one.

If after flashing the BIOS, the computer won’t boot when you turn it on, turn it off, and wait some seconds before to retry.

Removing the battery

If you can’t find the jumper to flash the BIOS or if such jumper doesn’t exist, you can remove the battery that keeps the BIOS memory alive. It’s a button-size battery somewhere on the motherboard (on elder computers the battery could be a small, typically blue, cylinder soldered to the motherboard, but usually has a jumper on its side to disconnect it, otherwise you’ll have to unsolder it and then solder it back). Take it away for 15-30 minutes or more, then put it back and the data contained into the BIOS memory should be volatilized. I’d suggest you to remove it for about one hour to be sure, because if you put it back when the data aren’t erased yet you’ll have to wait more time, as you’ve never removed it. If at first it doesn’t work, try to remove the battery overnight.

Important note: in laptop and notebooks you don’t have to remove the computer’s power batteries (which would be useless), but you should open your computer and remove the CMOS battery from the motherboard.
Short-circuiting the chip
Another way to clear the CMOS RAM is to reset it by short circuiting two pins of the BIOS chip for a few seconds. You can do that with a small piece of electric wire or with a bent paper clip. Always make sure that the computer is turned OFF before to try this operation.

Here is a list of EPROM chips that are commonly used in the BIOS industry. You may find similar chips with different names if they are compatible chips made by another brand. If you find the BIOS chip you are working on matches with one of the following you can try to short-circuit the appropriate pins. Be careful, because this operation may damage the chip.
CHIPS P82C206 (square)

Short together pins 12 and 32 (the first and the last pins on the bottom edge of the chip) or pins 74 and 75 (the two pins on the upper left corner).
gnd
74
|__________________
5v 75–| |
| |
| |
| CHIPS |
1 * | |
| P82C206 |
| |
| |
|___________________|
| |
| gnd | 5v
12 32
OPTi F82C206 (rectangular)
Short together pins 3 and 26 (third pin from left side and fifth pin from right side on the bottom edge).
80 51
|______________|
81 -| |- 50
| |
| |
| OPTi |
| |
| F82C206 |
| |
100-|________________|-31
|| | |
1 || | | 30
3 26

Dallas DS1287, DS1287A
Benchmarq bp3287MT, bq3287AMT
The Dallas DS1287 and DS1287A, and the compatible Benchmarq bp3287MT and bq3287AMT chips have a built-in battery. This battery should last up to ten years. Any motherboard using these chips should not have an additional battery (this means you can’t flash the BIOS by removing a battery). When the battery fails, the RTC chip would be replaced.
CMOS RAM can be cleared on the 1287A and 3287AMT chips by shorting pins 12 and 21.

The 1287 (and 3287MT) differ from the 1287A in that the CMOS RAM can’t be cleared. If there is a problem such as a forgotten password, the chip must be replaced. (In this case it is recommended to replace the 1287 with a 1287A). Also the Dallas 12887 and 12887A are similar but contain twice as much CMOS RAM storage.
__________
1 -| * U |- 24 5v
2 -| |- 23
3 -| |- 22
4 -| |- 21 RCL (RAM Clear)
5 -| |- 20
6 -| |- 19
7 -| |- 18
8 -| |- 17
9 -| |- 16
10 -| |- 15
11 -| |- 14
gnd 12 -|__________|- 13

NOTE: Although these are 24-pin chips,
the Dallas chips may be missing 5 pins,
these are unused pins.
Most chips have unused pins,
though usually they are still present.

Dallas DS12885S
Benchmarq bq3258S
Hitachi HD146818AP
Samsung KS82C6818A
This is a rectangular 24-pin DIP chip, usually in a socket. The number on the chip should end in 6818.
Although this chip is pin-compatible with the Dallas 1287/1287A, there is no built-in battery.
Short together pins 12 and 24.
5v
24 20 13
|___________|____________________|
| |
| DALLAS |
|> |
| DS12885S |
| |
|__________________________________|
| |
1 12
gnd

Motorola MC146818AP
Short pins 12 and 24. These are the pins on diagonally opposite corners – lower left and upper right. You might also try pins 12 and 20.
__________
1 -| * U |- 24 5v
2 -| |- 23
3 -| |- 22
4 -| |- 21
5 -| |- 20
6 -| |- 19
7 -| |- 18
8 -| |- 17
9 -| |- 16
10 -| |- 15
11 -| |- 14
gnd 12 -|__________|- 13

Replacing the chip

If nothing works, you could replace the existing BIOS chip with a new one you can buy from your specialized electronic shop or your computer supplier. It’s a quick operation if the chip is inserted on a base and not soldered to the motherboard, otherwise you’ll have to unsolder it and then put the new one. In this case would be more convenient to solder a base on which you’ll then plug the new chip, in the eventuality that you’ll have to change it again. If you can’t find the BIOS chip specifically made for your motherboard, you should buy one of the same type (probably one of the ones shown above) and look in your motherboard manufacturer’s website to see if there’s the BIOS image to download. Then you should copy that image on the chip you bought with an EPROM programmer.

Important
Whether is the method you use, when you flash the BIOS not only the password, but also all the other configuration data will be reset to the factory defaults, so when you are booting for the first time after a BIOS flash, you should enter the CMOS configuration menu (as explained before) and fix up some things.
Also, when you boot Windows, it may happen that it finds some new device, because of the new configuration of the BIOS, in this case you’ll probably need the Windows installation CD because Windows may ask you for some external files. If Windows doesn’t see the CD-ROM try to eject and re-insert the CD-ROM again. If Windows can’t find the CD-ROM drive and you set it properly from the BIOS config, just reboot with the reset key, and in the next run Windows should find it. However most files needed by the system while installing new hardware could also be found in C:WINDOWS, C:WINDOWSSYSTEM, or C:WINDOWSINF .

Key Disk for Toshiba laptops

Some Toshiba notebooks allow to bypass BIOS by inserting a « key-disk » in the floppy disk drive while booting. To create a Toshiba Keydisk, take a 720Kb or 1.44Mb floppy disk, format it (if it’s not formatted yet), then use a hex editor such as Hex Workshop to change the first five bytes of the second sector (the one after the boot sector) and set them to 4B 45 59 00 00 (note that the first three bytes are the ASCII for « KEY » followed by two zeroes). Once you have created the key disk put it into the notebook’s drive and turn it on, then push the reset button and when asked for password, press Enter. You will be asked to Set Password again. Press Y and Enter. You’ll enter the BIOS configuration where you can set a new password.

Key protected cases

A final note about those old computers (up to 486 and early Pentiums) protected with a key that prevented the use of the mouse and the keyboard or the power button. All you have to do with them is to follow the wires connected to the key hole, locate the jumper to which they are connected and unplug it.

That’s all.

Clear Cmos, jumper.That is the way how I solve problem when customer forgets password.

More

There are a few different ways to reset the cmos, here’s a few:

1. there are many default common passwords,
such as:

At boot-up note the BIOS provider (Award, AMI, Phoenix, IBM, etc.)

For Award BIOS’ try these backdoor passwords:

AWARD_SW
j262
HLT
SER
SKY_FOX
BIOSTAR
ALFAROME
Lkwpeter
j256
AWARD?SW
LKWPETER
syxz
ALLy
589589
589721
awkward
CONCAT
d8on
CONDO
j64
szyx

For AMI BIOS’ try these backdoor passwords:

AMI
BIOS
PASSWORD
HEWITT RAND
AMI?SW
AMI_SW
LKWPETER
A.M.I.
CONDO

For PHOENIX BIOS’ try this backdoor password:

phoenix

there are too many to count here’s a list

http://www.phenoelit.de/dpl/dpl.html

(search for PC BIOS)

2. On some older PC’s pressing the insert key upon startup will clear
the CMOS, make sure you hold it down till it’s done booting.

3. Another way which we pretty much already covered, was to pull the
metallic nickel looking battery that supplies power to the CMOS.

4. Some times there is a small three pin jumper used to reset the bios,
just move the black little pin cover to the opposite two pins.
(Make sure to read the motherboards manual before this)

5. If the battery is soldered in you can take a soldering iron to it but
I don’t recommend it unless you are a professional.

6. there are a few programs out on the net which are made to crack
certain types of bios passwords, I have one for award BIOS’s here’s a
couple:

http://www.11a.nu/ibios.htm

http://natan.zejn.si/rempass.html

Good reading:

http://www.astalavista.com/library/…ios_hacking.txt

http://www.virtualplastic.net/html/misc_bios.html

Tools:

http://www.red-demon.com/pwrecovery.html

A CMOS password, if present, is one that you must enter when the computer is booting up. It comes before a network or operating system password. You will not be able to run any programs, view files or even enter the operating system if you do not enter this password. If you find you’d like to change the password, this can be done by restarting your computer and entering the CMOS setup. CMOS setup is usually entered by typing a certain key or combination of keys as your computer is booting up. The DEL (delete) key or Ctrl/Enter are common ones. However, your BIOS should show a line explaining which key(s) to type to enter SETUP, BIOS SETUP, OR CMOS SETUP. There should be a password option in the setup program. If you are not able to find this option you will need to consult the manual that came with the computer or motherboard. If you have forgotten your password you will need to clear it by physically changing jumpers on your motherboard to short out certain pins, thereby erasing the password. The location of these pins varies from motherboard to motherboard, so you will need to refer to your computer or motherboard’s manual. Some motherboards have a default password. For example, the AMI BIOS default password is « AMI ». Check your computer or motherboard manual for the default password. It’s worth trying this password if you don’t know, or have forgotten the CMOS password. Some older computers required you to have a « reference disk » in order to make changes to the CMOS settings, which would include the password.