Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!wpg!russ
From: russ@wpg.com (Russell Lawrence)
Newsgroups: comp.sources.d
Subject: Re: "cops" and robbers
Summary: Let's start a new mailing list.
Message-ID: <2258@wpg.com>
Date: 8 Apr 90 04:39:57 GMT
References: <16900@well.sf.ca.us> <1990Mar29.055350.2922@Jhereg.Minnetech.MN.ORG> <1110@rwing.UUCP>
Organization: WP Group, POB 306, Metairie, LA 70004
Lines: 46

In article <1110@rwing.UUCP>, pat@rwing.UUCP (Pat Myrto) writes:
> Naturally, with rwing currently in the 'podunk' category I have 
> not been included on any of these mailing lists - like I said 
> earlier, not even given courtesy of a reply to my queries - my 
> knowlege is thus limited to the basics, and what I picked up from 
> text books, etc.  as described above.  

I share your lament.  Shortly after the Morris incident, I got 
about a dozen calls from business people who wanted me to beef up 
their systems security.  Being ignorant of the potential holes, I 
found myself unable to provide any real assistance.  As a result 
of their unassuaged fears, all of these sites have repeatedly 
declined netnews and email connections that would have greatly 
benefited the unix community in our area from the standpoint of 
jobs, machine sales, information exchange, etc.  

In a recent issue of the journal of the American Trial Lawyers 
Association, the president of that organization pointed out that 
the praise of "secrecy" and "secret knowledge" is one of the 
major barriers to the progress of our society as a whole.  The 
theory that secrecy or silence prevents problems from becoming 
worse has been used before in many fields of endeavor, politics, 
religion, health care, etc, and history has shown us that it 
doesn't work.  The underlying psychology reminds me of a childish 
ego game.  

Oddly enough, the only serious criminal hacker I've ever known 
personally was a young man with university affiliations that gave 
him ready access to USG and BSD source.  It pisses me off that 
this guy had access to information that is unavailable to me
because of the lame brain notion that people at large sites 
have a greater need to know, or greater integrity.  

Let me suggest that we start a new security mailing list based on 
the premise that knowledge should be widely available.  I'm sure
we'll get enough subscribers and contributors to make the thing
worth while.

In addition, let's maintain an archive listing the "secret" 
security mailing lists and their administrators and make this 
list readily available to the press.  If/when one of my client's 
machines is broken into, they may want to send sarcastic thank 
you notes to the Reverend Guardians of Esoteric Knowledge.  
-- 
Russell Lawrence, WP Group, New Orleans (504) 443-5000
russ@wpg.com   uunet!wpg!russ