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From: peter@ficc.uu.net (Peter da Silva)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: ls -A
Message-ID: <6487@ficc.uu.net>
Date: 9 Oct 89 21:54:09 GMT
References: <15@minya.UUCP> <14611@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU> <1989Oct6.201107.9465@eci386.uucp> <1989Oct7.032907.27496@rpi.edu> <MRD.89Oct7205748@sun.clarkson.edu> <1989Oct8.212100.12355@rpi.edu> <6468@ficc.uu.net> <602@buster.irby.com> <6470@ficc.uu.net> <17116@rpp386.c
Reply-To: peter@ficc.uu.net (Peter da Silva)
Distribution: na
Organization: Xenix Support, FICC
Lines: 24

In article <17116@rpp386.cactus.org> jfh@rpp386.cactus.org (John F. Haugh II) writes:
> The most common name for a command to give a user quick and easy
> password free access to root is '.s'.

I've never seen that one. I have run into one called /usr/lib/tmac/tmac.z,
though. That was amusing.

> I've seen this same scheme,
> a '.', followed by a single character, used to name all manner of
> files people aren't supposed to see.

So? I'm not suggesting making .? invisible to 'ls -A' or anything like
that. I'm just pointing out that, *for most purposes*, when you want
to do something with all the files other than . and .. it's quick and
easy to use .??* to match them all.

Personally, I look for trapdoors with things like 'find' rather than 'echo
*'... but I'm thankful for the insight into how you maintain your C2 secure
systems.
-- 
Peter da Silva, *NIX support guy @ Ferranti International Controls Corporation.
Biz: peter@ficc.uu.net, +1 713 274 5180. Fun: peter@sugar.hackercorp.com. `-_-'
                                                                           'U`
Quote: Structured Programming is a discipline -- not a straitjacket.