Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site ncoast.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!bellcore!decvax!cwruecmp!atvax!ncoast!bsa From: bsa@ncoast.UUCP Newsgroups: net.unix-wizards Subject: Re: Warning on Discussions about Security in unix-wizards Message-ID: <503@ncoast.UUCP> Date: Tue, 18-Dec-84 12:29:30 EST Article-I.D.: ncoast.503 Posted: Tue Dec 18 12:29:30 1984 Date-Received: Fri, 21-Dec-84 00:22:29 EST References: <690@ames.UUCP> Reply-To: bsa@ncoast.UUCP (Brandon Allbery) Distribution: net Organization: Unix-like Operating Systems Consultant Lines: 32 Summary: > Article <690@ames.UUCP>, from eugene@ames.UUCP (Eugene Miya) +---------------- | I am posting this to unix-wizards because of the reemergence of security | as a topic for flaming on the wizards list. I realize there are many | people reading this list who are not unix devotees, but I want to point | out to the wizards that what they say can be used against them. | | Early on, this discussion broadly covered security in general. When this | discussion shifts, in particular, to unix security, we create another | set of problems. To the wizards: there are managers and other people reading | this net who will use this 'security' information as a justification for | not using Unix. This misaligned viewpoint not only berates this OS, but also | tends to ignore possible security holes in systems such as VMS, VM/370, | OS/32, EXEC*1100, and so on. [What? ...'s OS has security holes?! No way, but | look at Unix...] To managers of other systems: go to your systems people and | ask "If this problem happens on this other oprating system, can this or any | thing like it happen on our XYZ OS?" I'm certain many will say no, | [politically], but the value of this will be offset by holes found by others. If you want discussion of security holes in VMS or VM/370, I'd suggest that you look up net.{vms,vm370}-wizards. Maybe we should shut down net.unix-wizards because people come here to ask questions which show Unix up as not perfect (witness the constant requests for bug-free device drivers)? Or we can be sane, accept that we're talking Unix on a Unix network, and forget about it. Being silent about bugs and security problems merely insures that they'll never get fixed. --bsa -- Brandon Allbery @ decvax!cwruecmp!ncoast!bsa (..ncoast!tdi1!bsa business) 6504 Chestnut Road, Independence, Ohio 44131 (216) 524-1416 <<<<<< An equal opportunity employer: I both create and destroy bugs :-) >>>>>>