Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!purdue!bu-cs!buengc!bph
From: bph@buengc.BU.EDU (Blair P. Houghton)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: Re: A way to monitor your files
Summary: Protection and security are different things.
Message-ID: <4125@buengc.BU.EDU>
Date: 12 Sep 89 19:22:52 GMT
References: <547@chem.ucsd.EDU> <1140@virtech.UUCP> <29114@news.Think.COM> <1142@virtech.UUCP> <11022@smoke.BRL.MIL> <4113@buengc.BU.EDU> <11035@smoke.BRL.MIL>
Reply-To: bph@buengc.bu.edu (Blair P. Houghton)
Followup-To: comp.unix.questions
Organization: Boston Univ. Col. of Eng.
Lines: 29

In article <11035@smoke.BRL.MIL> gwyn@brl.arpa (Doug Gwyn) writes:
>In article <4113@buengc.BU.EDU> bph@buengc.bu.edu (Blair P. Houghton) writes:
>>As long as the superuser is a sufficiently cleared individual, then the
>>proper security is being maintained no matter what software he can use
>>to get into the files.  As in a traditional paper system, one has to
>>place trust in the handlers of the data.
>
>If you recall how this thread started, the individual was complaining
>that his local super-users were abusing their powers and snooping in
>his private data files.  The discussion about DoD trusted computing
>systems started with somebody's more-or-less irrelevant reply.  The
>original situation had nothing to do with TCBs, MACs, etc.

I recall mentioning that at the start of this thread I wasn't a superuser
and didn't even read it.  Thanks for the recap.  I am now a superuser,
and am interested in all forms of security.

Okay, so we're talking protection, not security.  Different issue.

There is _no_ way to keep the SU from looking in your files.  That
is a feature, not a bug.

I tell users that if they really want me not to see their stuff
they should use encrypt(1) or move it off the machine.

I don't snoop, but I don't hesitate to look if I have a reason.

				--Blair
				  "TCB?  MAC?  EIEIO?"