Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site utcs.UUCP Path: utzoo!utcs!shindman From: shindman@utcs.UUCP (Paul Shindman) Newsgroups: net.micro,net.college Subject: Re: Free and undirected campus computing facilities - Not at Waterloo Message-ID: <196@utcs.UUCP> Date: Wed, 14-Nov-84 15:58:17 EST Article-I.D.: utcs.196 Posted: Wed Nov 14 15:58:17 1984 Date-Received: Wed, 14-Nov-84 16:24:40 EST References: <457@utcsrgv.UUCP> <649@watdcsu.UUCP> <425@watcgl.UUCP> <652@watdcsu.UUCP> <9840@watmath.UUCP> <9844@watmath.UUCP> Reply-To: shindman@utcs.UUCP (Paul Shindman) Organization: University of Toronto - General Purpose UNIX Lines: 31 Summary: Encountered an interesting point related to the topic. We were in a meeting today discussing the affects of a mod to TSO that would make the users' lives easier, but would lead to a potentially serious gap in system integrity. The question then arose; "who the heck knows about this enough who could get in and gain authorized access to everything through this mod???". The obvious answer was that some hack would be sure to find out about it and do something nasty, like add a million dollars to their account. Then somebody spoke up and said, "but there aren't anymore hacks around!'. To which we collectively thought for 5 seconds and reached the same conclusion. Now it could be that all the hacks have moved to UNIX and off of our IBM systems, but there is a distinct change at U of T from 5 or so years ago when hacks abounded on all our systems. My personal opinion is that it is to our collective detriment that the environment no longer exists in which hacks can flourish. Their presence was on the whole benficial in that they always wanted to learn something new, and were always assisting those who didn't know (invariably to show off their hackability) and often ended up doing contract work or getting hired by the computer center, comp sci department, or some prof looking for someone who knew how to (mis)handle a computer. I'll forward the news on this topic around our site and add more comments at a later date. Paul Shindman utcs!shindman