MAC Single User Mode [image: How to Break Into a Mac (And Prevent It from Happening to You)] Boot up the computer, holding Command+S as you hear the startup chime. The Mac will boot into single user mode, giving you a command prompt after loading everything up. If the Mac is running Snow Leopard or below, type the following commands, hitting Enter after each one and waiting for the prompt to come up again before running the next one: /sbin/fsck -fy /sbin/mount -uw / launchctl load /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.DirectoryServices.plist dscl . -passwd /Users/obnosis badkitty If the Mac is running Lion or above, you'll instead want to use the following commands: /sbin/fsck -fy /sbin/mount -uw / launchctl load /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.opendirectoryd.plist dscl . -passwd /Users/obnosis badkitty Replace obnosis with the user whose account you want to access and badkitty with the new password you want to assign to that user. If you get an error message aboutcom.apple.DirectoryServicesLocal.plist on a Lion or Mountain Lion machine, just ignore it—the password reset should have still worked. If you don't know the user's username, it should be pretty easy to run ls /Users at any time during single user mode to list all the home folders on the Mac, which usually correspond to the usernames available on the Mac. Note that the user's password is different than the root password. If you want access to the more secured parts of their machine—like their password keychain—you can change their root password by running this command after loading opendirectoryd.plist: passwd root Once finished, you should have access to most of their system, including their saved passwords for other apps. On Thu, Dec 6, 2012 at 8:04 PM, Brian Cluff wrote: > We received the following request though our website. If there is anyone > that can help it sounds like a worthy cause. > > ------------ > > Bernard Cohen > > I'm a member and board member of the Linux users group in Regina, > Saskatchewan , Canada > > http://www.losurs.org/ > > I'm writing concerning my sister who lives in Phoenix. Her husband > recently died unexpectedly. > Among her many crises is the fact that she is locked > out of her husbands account on his 4 or 5 year old > Mac computer. Her computer skills are pretty rudimentary. She doesn't > know any of their usernames and passwords. She lives in the Cave Creek area > of Phoenix just south and east of the Sonoran Desert Preserve. If there are > any members of your group that might be willing to give her a > hand please let me know their name(s) and phone number(s) &/or email > addresses and I will pass them on to her. > Thank you. > ------------------------------**--------------------- > PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.phxlinux.**org > To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change your mail settings: > http://lists.phxlinux.org/**mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss > -- (503) 754-4452 Android (623) 239-3392 Skype (623) 688-3392 Google Voice ** it-clowns.com Chief Clown