Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!news.larc.nasa.gov!grissom.larc.nasa.gov!kludge From: kludge@grissom.larc.nasa.gov ( Scott Dorsey) Newsgroups: comp.admin.policy Subject: Re: Possibly nefarious users Message-ID: <1991Jun14.132933.4466@news.larc.nasa.gov> Date: 14 Jun 91 13:29:33 GMT References: <1991Jun6.214915.18946@athena.mit.edu> <1991Jun7.164102.672@progress.com> <1991Jun7.184025.25010@eng.umd.edu> <1991Jun7.215349.11643@zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu> Sender: news@news.larc.nasa.gov (USENET Network News) Reply-To: kludge@grissom.larc.nasa.gov ( Scott Dorsey) Organization: NASA Langley Research Center Lines: 17 In article bagchi@eecs.umich.edu (Ranjan Bagchi) writes: > I really don't think there should be a whole lot of protection >for people who insist on being stupid and having publicly accessible >accounts called "guest". Nothing stupid at all about having publically accessible guest accounts. If you have a guest account, you expect guests to use it. That's why it's called a "guest" account. Much like having an anonymous FTP set up, you have it there for people to use it. And if you have it there, you should have it protected somewhat. True, the net is a much less open and safe place than it was fifteen years ago. But if you make the point that you don't want people hacking on this account and that there isn't much on the machine that's worthwhile, you shouldn't have a problem. That's not to say that you don't keep a good eye on what's going on there to make sure that there aren't any problems, but that's what system administration is all about, folks. --scott