In operating systems, there is something called as a backdoor. What is it? What are its uses? In what way is it helpful and if possible, how can it harm the computer?
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A backdoor is a set of codes that has been intentionally embedded in firmware so that the manufacturers can easily upgrade the operating system whenever there are new updates. It’s a path for the manufacturers to fix any problem, if present, in the system without the user having to intervene and try to solve the problem. This makes life easier for the users. However, one major drawback of this feature is they can access our personal information too with the help of these backdoors. Â
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The so-called backdoor in software or computer system is typically an undocumented portal that permits an administrator to enter the system maybe to perform troubleshooting or do maintenance. On the other hand, it also refers to a secret portal or a hidden door that hackers and intelligence agencies use to obtain forbidden access.
It is a scheme, which is frequently secret, of going around normal authentication in a computer system, program, cryptosystem or algorithm, and others. Backdoors are frequently used for acquiring unauthorized remote access to a computer or to get access to plaintext in cryptographic systems. A backdoor can be a hidden part of a program or a separate program or it can also be a hardware feature.
These kinds of backdoors may have legal uses like giving the manufacturer a way to restore user passwords. Default passwords can also act as backdoors if the user didn’t change it. The encryption system called Clipper chip, which the United States government tried to deploy in 1993, contains an explicit backdoor for national security and law enforcement access. The chip was a failure both internationally and in business.
