How secure is gnome lockscreen supposed to be?

[ChronicNoob]

Hi - long time reader, first time poster.

This may be old, but I have not found any reference to it on the forum, or via Google searching.

So – How secure is the Gnome Lockscreen function suppose to be?

System : 32 bit workstation, running Centos 6.8, and Gnome 2.28.2

When I’m away from my workstation, I have been using the Lockscreen panel applet to secure my workstation. Screen saver also requires password to unlock and return to desktop.

Recently, I have discovered that using the <Ctrl>+<Alt>+<Backspace> key combo will shut down Gnome even if the screen was locked.

When I am returned to the system prompt, I can re-invoke Gnome (startx) and it comes up normally.

So whether I re-invoke Gnome or just work from the command line – the Lockscreen didn’t protect the workstation from unauthorized use.

Is this known behavior? Is it corrected in newer versions like Gnome 3?

Do I have to completely log out to secure my workstation?

Thanks in advance.

[TrevorH]

It's a key combination that can be disabled - for example http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/linux/di ... -on-linux/ although the implementation details may be different on CentOS.

If you come up in runlevel 5 and use gdm to get a graphical login then ctrl-alt-backspace would return you to the login screen. Since you login at a terminal and invoke startx, ctrl-alt-bs returns you to that login terminal.

I've moved your post to the CentOS 6 forums.

[ChronicNoob]

Hello Trevor, and thanks for the suggestion. I was afraid someone would make that one. Unfortunately, <Ctrl>+<Alt>+<Backspace> is useful… As is coming up in runlevel 3.

Can it be disabled programatically – on-the-fly – when invoking the lockscreen function, and restored when the user enters the correct password? Or is this setting only looked at when Gnome starts up?

Oh – sorry about posting under Centos 7 – realized it right after I posted. <Sigh> Ready, Fire, Aim… Curse under breath.