[NTLUG:Discuss] FW: motivating shady clients to payup

[Aaron Goldblatt]

>      cp /etc/passwd  /mnt/etc/passwd
>      cp /etc/shadow  /mnt/etc/shadow

I'll explain this, but honestly, the question makes me wonder why 
you're doing scripting for money.  Nothing personal, but wow ... 
awfully fundamental question for a professional.

copy /etc/password to /mnt/etc/passwd

The idea is that you slap the hard drive you gave them into a new 
machine as hard drive #2, mount it under /mnt.  This copies the 
active /etc/passwd file (on hdd #1, to which they have the 
passwords) and overwrites your passwd file (which now lives under 
/mnt/etc/passwd).  Set the machines back up the way they were 
originally, and all is good, if they did it right.  Your passwords are 
not only defeated, but you also don't have access to the box 
anymore either.

ag