Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!uunet!bionet!kristoff From: kristoff@genbank.BIO.NET (David Kristofferson) Newsgroups: bionet.general Subject: Re: Mad junk mail disease Message-ID: Date: 1 Jun 90 00:08:00 GMT References: <9005311622.AA02465@genbank.bio.net> <1990May31.215852.8200@phri.nyu.edu> Organization: GenBank Online Service Lines: 28 > Making the bionet groups moderated won't help. I assume you're > referring to the recent cowabunga plague. Note that it appeared on various > moderated groups, with forged Approved: headers. I have been told that our friend BIFF, who plastered a large number of USENET newsgroups besides bionet with his garbage, is being actively sought out 8-)! However over the last four years I can only recall about two other remotely similar incidents, so I am not that concerned. We may not be able to protect the system from determined hackers, but we can filter out stuff like SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE messages that are sent to the wrong place as well as other inappropriate stuff. The question is whether or not these are SO annoying that they are worth making the groups moderated. This would entail an additional committment of time on our part at BIOSCI and also result in some delays in the posting of bulletins while they awaited approval. My time is already very strapped (BIOSCI is just a fractional time committment for me among several other items) and, personally, I have always favored the role of friendly traffic cop on these groups versus that of a censor. -- Sincerely, Dave Kristofferson GenBank On-line Service Manager kristoff@genbank.bio.net