Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!mp.cs.niu.edu!rickert From: rickert@mp.cs.niu.edu (Neil Rickert) Newsgroups: comp.unix.admin Subject: Re: Possible security problem, need information... Message-ID: <1991Mar20.183922.9660@mp.cs.niu.edu> Date: 20 Mar 91 18:39:22 GMT References: <1991Mar18.200957.166@gacvx2.gac.edu> <1991Mar20.165442.7210@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> Organization: Northern Illinois University Lines: 21 In article <1991Mar20.165442.7210@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> edotto@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Ed Otto) writes: > >But seriously,I think that this is not a problem as mine is the same way. Don't assume that just because your system comes standardly set up in a certain way, there are no problems with that setup. Vendors are notorious for providing systems which are highly secure when set up on a private network with only one user, but in which security breaks down in more practical environments. As an example, at least one has made a practice of supplying systems with a default setup such that if you connect the system to Internet and make a DNS resolver function available in the recommended way, just about anyone with root access on any Internet machine can quickly break in. For all I know they are still supplying systems with this setup. -- =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= Neil W. Rickert, Computer Science Northern Illinois Univ. DeKalb, IL 60115 +1-815-753-6940