Fadi002/unshackle

Health v2 · maintenance only

Flags: archived

Adoption not part of the score

1981 stars · 125 forks observed · 2026-08-28

What it is AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, 2026-08-30, confidence not recorded

Unshackle is a bootable Linux-based ISO that resets or bypasses Windows and Linux user login passwords from a USB drive. It works offline by modifying system files on the target OS (e.g., swapping Windows sethc.exe for a sticky-keys backdoor you trigger by pressing Shift five times on the lock screen).

Use cases

• reset a forgotten Windows password without reinstalling the OS
• bypass a Linux login password from a bootable USB
• regain access to a locked PC offline
• remove an administrator password from a Windows 10/11 machine
• create a bootable USB password-recovery toolkit
• demonstrate sticky-keys privilege escalation in security training

When to choose

• you are locked out of your own Windows or Linux machine and need an offline password reset without a reinstall
• you want a free, open-source alternative to commercial password-recovery boot disks
• you need a simple CLI-driven tool for demonstrating offline authentication bypasses in a lab or class

When to avoid

• the target drive uses BitLocker or full-disk encryption, which blocks offline modification
• you cannot or will not disable Secure Boot in the firmware settings
• you expect ongoing updates or support - the project is archived and unmaintained
• you want to access a machine you are not authorized to control, which is illegal

Facets

application · maturity abandoned

security penetration-testing security penetration-testing operating-systems windows cli password-reset bootable-usb password-bypass sticky-keys privilege-escalation iso-image offline-password-recovery ethical-hacking shell-script linux

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