Return-Path: XPUM04@prime-a.central-services.umist.ac.uk Received: from G.SEI.CMU.EDU by ubu.cert.sei.cmu.edu (5.61/2.3) id AA04420; Wed, 20 Jun 90 17:06:46 -0400 Received: from SEI.CMU.EDU by g.sei.cmu.edu (5.61/2.5) id AA06892; Wed, 20 Jun 90 17:06:47 -0400 Received: from nsfnet-relay.ac.uk by sei.cmu.edu (5.61/2.3) id AA22731; Wed, 20 Jun 90 17:06:37 -0400 Received: from sun.nsfnet-relay.ac.uk by vax.NSFnet-Relay.AC.UK via Janet with NIFTP id aa23083; 20 Jun 90 16:19 BST From: Anthony Appleyard To: DAVIDF@cs.heriot-watt.ac.uk Date: Wed, 20 Jun 90 16:31:52 BST Message-Id: <$TGWGCZNQBTQF at UMPA> Subject: Virus-L vol 0 issue #1015 Virus-L Digest Sat, 15 Oct 88, Volume 0 : Issue #1015 Today's Topics Re: Networks Re : Ex hackers ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 15 Oct 88 16:20:00 GMT From: Danny Schwendener Subject: Re: Networks >>None of the Mac viruses now known can actively transfer across a network. >That seems strange to me. It seems that in any system, if a file is >writable, then a virus can write to it. Of course, if read-only >status can be enforced, then infection of the file can be prevented. We're speaking about the *currently known* mac viruses. Theyinfect either system files on the boot-up disk or/and applications when these are invoked. No doubt that you can write a virus that detects all volumes on line and infects part or all of the applications on these volumes (as long as they're not write-protected), but apparently no one has done this yet (knock on wood). -- Danny +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Mail : Danny Schwendener, ETH Macintosh Support Center | | Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, CH-8092 Zuerich | | Bitnet : macman@czheth5a UUCP : {cernvax,mcvax}ethz!macman | | Ean : macman@ifi.ethz.ch Voice : yodel three times | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ -------------------- Date: Sat, 15 Oct 88 02:06:30 +0200 Reply-To: gany@taurus Sender: Virus Discussion List Comments: If you have trouble reaching this host as MATH.Tau.Ac.IL Please use the old address: user@taurus.BITNET From: GANY@TAURUS Subject: Re : Ex hackers I think we are getting carried away with this argument about employing ex-hackers so I will try to make this short. 1. I have a friend who used to hack around with our university's giant CDC CYBER a few years ago when we were both in high-school. We had access to the computer as we were doing a form of "graduation paper" for school. That person was caught messing around with resources he had no access to (like accounts he used to "borrow"). He was reported to school and was punished in the form of "not to lay foot on the computer building as long as he in college". This person is working up to this date as consultant on the same computer site (and believe me, he is good at what he is doing (advising on languages and operating system). Just don't say they (the computer operators) have short memory - they knew exactly who they were hiring. 2. I remember myself trying to hack around with the same computer ("with a little help from my friends") not always doing honest things. Today i am working next door as member of the system staff on a UNIX system on the same university and also have privileged access to that CDC. So, to the main point - the reason some of hackers do "bad" things is because they are bounded and they like the game of trying to loosen the tights. (i hope my English is right) Give them enough space (i.e privileges) and suddenly they stop hacking and start acting like "grownups" and do useful things. Now don't get me wrong - IN NO WAY YOU SHOULD ENCOURAGE HACKING !!. But when it comes to hiring a person to a job requiring "privileged access", the fact he used to be a hacker should NOT misqualify him automaticaly ! Don't judge a book by it's cover. I'm sure most system administrators have enough brains to smell a trouble maker in few days - before he is given enough privileges. Sorry for the length of this posting - it makes me furious to hear opinions like "once a hacker always a hacker" as if hacker means thief. I'm sure many of you reading this posting used to be hackers too, so let's concentrate in more important things like how to prevent unwanted penetrations to systems (which of course includes trojan-horses). thanks for listening. Yair Gany Tel Aviv University - School of Mathematics and Computer Science. -------------------- *** end of Virus-L issue ***