Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!rutgers!mailrus!uflorida!usfvax2!tscs!gerard From: gerard@tscs.UUCP (Stephen M. Gerard) Newsgroups: comp.misc Subject: Re: Soviet Access to Usenet Message-ID: <212@tscs.UUCP> Date: 2 Dec 88 04:27:26 GMT References: <7649@well.UUCP> <8081@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU> Reply-To: gerard@tscs.UUCP (Stephen M. Gerard) Organization: Total Support Computer Systems, Tampa, Florida Lines: 38 In article <8081@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU> ajdenner@athena.mit.edu (Alexander J Denner) writes: >In article <7649@well.UUCP> crunch@well.UUCP (John Draper) writes: >> I have heard a LOT of talk about adding Soviet Sites to the UUCP network > > I do not think this would be a very good idea. Now that the Soviets >do not already have access to American networks (ARPANET, etc.). (I am >saying that I am sure the KGB intercepts as much internet information as >they can.) Although I have nothing against the Russin people, the Soviets I don't recall having to submit any documentation proving that I am not a Soviet spy before I connected my system to the UUCP network. And who is to say that there are not any Soviet spies who are working in America for American companies that have UUCP access. Except for occassional proprietary source code that gets posted to USENET, I would hardly say that the any of the data I receive should be considered classified. I am not saying that we should hand our secrets over to the Soviet Union; however, my guess is that they know more about our secrets than the average red blooded American. I for one would be interested to learn more about their level of computer literacy. > Having a UUCP site would make it much easier for them to >spread a malicious virus in a time of friction. Also, what if a virus >from the US leaks into Russia (or a virus from the USSR gets into the US)? >Such a situation would cause many problems and bad feelings. Of course we also have to worry about out own people spreading viruses. I would hope that all computers having to do with government and military applications would be isolated from the outside world in times of trouble. After all, one only needs to know the telephone number of a public access UNIX site to gain access to UUCP and USENET. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stephen Gerard - Total Support Computer Systems - Tampa - (813) 876-5990 UUCP: gerard@tscs ...{pdn,usfvax2}!tscs!gerard US-MAIL: Post Office Box 15395 - Tampa, Florida 33684-5395