Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!linac!att!att!fang!tarpit!bilver!alex From: alex@bilver.uucp (Alex Matulich) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.misc Subject: Re: Anyone using prodigy with an AMIGA? Message-ID: <1991May7.001840.8440@bilver.uucp> Date: 7 May 91 00:18:40 GMT References: <1991May02.160135.20734@convex.com> <1991May5.205134.665@bilver.uucp> Distribution: na Organization: W. J. Vermillion - Winter Park, FL Lines: 37 nj@magnolia.Berkeley.EDU (Narciso Jaramillo) writes: >alex@bilver.uucp (Alex Matulich) fumed: > > [about Prodigy's STAGE.DAT file] > > COME ON PEOPLE! You are making a fuss about what is probably nothing at > all. Doesn't anybody realize that under MSDOS, when a program allocates > file space for itself on the hard disk, that space may contain fragments > of files that used to occupy that space? When you allocate file space, > the space is NOT cleared. > >The real problem is not whether Prodigy intentionally included code in >the client program to grab files off your hard disk. Whether or not >it's intentional, it's still a security risk; through the STAGE.DAT >file, your data is now accessible to any programmer who works at >Prodigy, including J. Random Hired Hacker who feels like inserting >commands into the server software to grab your data just for laughs. What I was trying to say in my somewhat vitriolic post (apologies for that) was that IF private info is indeed inside STAGE.DAT because it was already occupying _unused_ hard disk space which got allocated by Prodigy, THEN the security risk is no fault of Prodigy's -- MS-DOS is then the culprit causing the security risk. I would venture to say that AmigaDOS would behave the same way. When a file is deleted or moved, the space on the disk where the file used to be is not cleared. If some program comes along and allocates that space for a file, then naturally the file will contain the old data. I think if Prodigy is really stealing data, they aren't doing it through that STAGE.DAT file. There are better ways. -- _ |__ Alex Matulich /(+__> Unicorn Research Corp, 4621 N Landmark Dr, Orlando, FL 32817 //| \ UUCP: alex@bilver.uucp ...uunet!tarpit!bilver!alex ///__) bitnet: IN%"bilver!alex@uunet.uu.net"