Xref: utzoo news.groups:13849 news.admin:7407 news.misc:3764 Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!shadooby!samsung!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!purdue!bu-cs!ckd From: ckd@bu-pub.bu.edu (Christopher K Davis) Newsgroups: news.groups,news.admin,news.misc Subject: Re: Important announcement Message-ID: <41727@bu-cs.BU.EDU> Date: 1 Nov 89 06:48:11 GMT References: <21593@gryphon.COM> <6037@tank.uchicago.edu> <8122@asylum.SF.CA.US> Sender: daemon@bu-cs.BU.EDU Followup-To: news.misc Organization: Boston University School of Management Lines: 42 In article <6037@tank.uchicago.edu>, toto@tank.uchicago.edu (Sandra Jessica Smyth) writes: Sandra> Now, is it obvious why we don't need discussions of how postings can Sandra> be forged? >>>>> On 31 Oct 89 01:47:51 GMT, romkey@asylum.SF.CA.US (John Romkey) said: John> "Security through obscurity" is no security at all. At best, it John> prevents people from learning a problem exists to be fixed. Okay. Repeat after me: "USENET news can be forged. Electronic mail can be forged. Trust no one. Keep your laser handy." The problem is such that it cannot be fixed without major changes in the news and mail transport software of *every* site running netnews and/or netmail. You wanna do that? There are sites running B news 2.9 out there, *still,* and you think we can get everyone upgraded to "D news" or whatever we're gonna call it? Maybe Spaf should put it in the news.announce.newusers monthly postings: "Occasionally, someone somewhere will discover that they can forge news articles. They usually discover soon after that this is no great accomplishment, and simply marks them as someone who is capable of annoying great numbers of people to no apparent end." This should serve to warn any siteadmin who doesn't already know that it's possible to forge news, without giving the details. Hell, the details aren't that tough to find. I know of at least 3 ways. But why bother? I'd rather make some actual contributions, and get flamed or praised on my own damn merits. Followups to news.misc because this is pretty misc. [I also removed t.b and a.f from the headers, because this message is neither bizarre nor flamage.] -- Christopher Davis, BU SMG '90 "Technology is dominated by those who manage what they do not understand."