Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!cis.ohio-state.edu!sei.cmu.edu!fs7.ece.cmu.edu!o.gp.cs.cmu.edu!andrew.cmu.edu!jb3o+ From: jb3o+@andrew.cmu.edu (Jon Allen Boone) Newsgroups: comp.admin.policy Subject: Re: Possibly nefarious users Message-ID: <4cIuopy00j69QAZE4H@andrew.cmu.edu> Date: 10 Jun 91 16:47:49 GMT References: <2D.-_.N@cs.widener.edu> <1991Jun6.214915.18946@athena.mit.edu>, <1991Jun7.164102.672@progress.com> , <1991Jun10.053229.4305@qiclab.scn.rain.com> Organization: Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA Lines: 47 In-Reply-To: <1991Jun10.053229.4305@qiclab.scn.rain.com> leonard@qiclab.scn.rain.com (Leonard Erickson) writes: > No. The law is exactly the opposite. Unless *you* know that the account > is for general access, you do not have the right to use it. There are > legitmate reasons for having a "guest" account (with no password) on a > system. But just as with an unlocked door, *you* are not the person > it was left unlocked for. As I understand it, this isn't a discussion of what the law says. Therefore, it should be regulated to where it belongs - in the law books. Certainly that's the way it is currently - that doesn't mean that it's the way it OUGHT to be, which, I understand, is what we're discussing (as usual). leonard@qiclab.scn.rain.com (Leonard Erickson) writes: > Sorry, but it is *impossible* to use even a guest account and not be > using *some* system resources. A socket, if nothing else. More likely > one of a *limited* number of ports. Perhaps on the systems you use - our the systems never have that sort of a problem - we always have enough resources (such as sockets, etc.) to allow someone to access them, if they want to. However, our department has decided that it's too much of a security risk to allow acccess via guest accounts or anonymous ftp. Now, if you eat up our disk space, then people might get upset - more likely, the problem would get forwarded to me and I'd kill your files. End of story. > Finally, the *correct* moral standard is "it's not yours!", not "But I'm > not hurting anything." Property rights *do* exist in c-space. Actually, the *correct* moral standard isn't "it's not yours!" - that's silly. Property rights *SHOULDN'T* exist in c-space. It's incredibly dumb to take up sectors and sectors of disk space just because you can - if we had a more open system, my files could exist on any machine - they could be so well distributed that the resulting drain on *ANY ONE PARTICULAR SYSTEM* would be negligible. Clearly, the extension of property rights to cyber-space will result in a less-than-optimal use of resources merely to satisfy stupid primate instincts is those who have the $$$ to buy disks, ethernet controllers, etc. BLECH! ----------------------------------|++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ | "He divines remedies against injuries; | "Words are drugs." | | he knows how to turn serious accidents | -Antero Alli | | to his own advantage; whatever does not | | | kill him makes him stronger." | "Culture is for bacteria." | | - Friedrich Nietzsche | - Christopher Hyatt | -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-