Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!nstn.ns.ca!news.cs.indiana.edu!msi.umn.edu!noc.MR.NET!gacvx2.gac.edu!gacvx2.gac.edu!scott From: scott@Kolmogorov.gac.edu (Scott Hess) Newsgroups: comp.sys.next Subject: Re: "file" operator disabled on NeXT 2.0 Message-ID: Date: 22 Jan 91 02:40:45 GMT References: <4900@media-lab.MEDIA.MIT.EDU> <2177@autodesk.COM> <1991Jan21.225155.6821@ni.umd.edu> Organization: Gustavus Adolphus College Lines: 40 Nntp-Posting-Host: kolmogorov.gac.edu In-reply-to: louie@sayshell.umd.edu's message of 21 Jan 91 22:51:55 GMTLines: 40 In article <1991Jan21.225155.6821@ni.umd.edu> louie@sayshell.umd.edu (Louis A. Mamakos) writes: > So what? I can send you a piece of C code to do the same. Why is this > more dangerous inyour view? > >because the mail reader doesn't automatically execute pieces of c code >that it finds in messages. if you've decided to use postscript as >your standard for sending graphics around, you need to assume that >people will execute it without reading it first, and take appropriate >precautions. This is all very fine and good as an explanation, given that anyone is actually sending around PostScript inside their mail messages, which I don't believe is in wide use quite yet. OK, to rephrase the original posting (though I had little if anything to do with it): Log into your machine and set public windowserver. I can connect to your windowserver, and use the file operator to overwrite your ~/.cshrc with "rm -rf ~/", then the next time you run a csh, you're meat. Heck, to be safe, I'll overwrite .profile, too, so I can get you with sh, also. Well, actually, I can't, but with a free-usage file operator, could. Few computers have a cc server which will blithly compile incoming c code and execute it, while a windowserver with public access writes is essentially the same thing . . . get my point? Maybe file should be limited to a specific directory tree (as anon ftp is via chroot in ftpd)? Or, better yet, maybe all file access should be so limited except for authorized connections? Oh, no, now we're looking at authorization . . . -- scott hess scott@gac.edu Independent NeXT Developer GAC Undergrad "Tried anarchy, once. Found it had too many constraints . . ." "Buy `Sweat 'n wit '2 Live Crew'`, a new weight loss program by Richard Simmons . . ."