The various Linux boot loaders also can have a boot password set.
LILO, for example, has password
and restricted
settings; password
always requires password at boot time,
whereas restricted
requires a boot-time password only if you
specify options (such as single
) at the LILO
prompt.
Keep in mind when setting all these passwords that you need to remember them. :) Also remember that these passwords will merely slow the determined attacker. They won't prevent someone from booting from a floppy, and mounting your root partition. If you are using security in conjunction with a boot loader, you might as well disable booting from a floppy in your computer's BIOS, and password-protect the BIOS.
If anyone has security-related information from a different boot
loader, we would love to hear it. (grub
, silo
, milo
, linload
, etc).
Note: If you have a server machine, and you set up a boot password, your machine will not boot up unattended. Keep in mind that you will need to come in and supply the password in the event of a power failure. ;(