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What Is BIOS Password - Definition From WhatIs - Com - 1597911842291

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9 SearchEnterpriseDesktop

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Home > User passwords and network permissions > Hardware > BIOS password

DEFINITION

BIOS password
Posted by: Margaret Rouse WhatIs.com

c o n
Contributor(s): Eugene Demaitre

A BIOS password is authentication information that is sometimes required to log into a


2 computer's basic input/output system (BIOS) before the machine will boot up.

BIOS is the program a computer's microprocessor uses to control the computer's initial boot
sequence and hardware initialization. The BIOS password is stored in complementary metal-
oxide semiconductor (CMOS) memory. In some computers, a small battery attached to the
motherboard maintains the memory when the computer is off.

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Because it provides an extra layer of security, a BIOS password can help prevent unauthorized
use of a computer. A BIOS password can also be a liability, however, because if the computer
owner forgets his password or a corporate user hands in his machine without disclosing the
BIOS password, the computer will not boot up.

A BIOS password can be reset by contacting the vendor for directions. Resets typically involve
the use of backdoor BIOS passwords. These are passwords created by the BIOS manufacturer
that will work no matter what password the user has set up. User-created passwords can
sometimes be cleared by removing the CMOS battery or by using special BIOS password
cracking software.

This was last updated in February 2012

∙∙
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Enterprise password protection checklist

How to bolster BIOS security to prevent BIOS attacks


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m Dig Deeper on User passwords and network permissions


How to change UEFI and BIOS password on Windows 10

By: Brien Posey

Security, compliance standards help mitigate BIOS security vulnerabilities

By: Daniel Allen

BadBIOS

By: Margaret Rouse


Change boot settings from a VM BIOS

By: Brien Posey

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Oldest 5

[-] abolfazl
t
- 7 Jan 2017 2:53 PM

If my BIOS has a password, can it be changed by a virus?

Reply

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