Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!emory!athena.cs.uga.edu!mcovingt
From: mcovingt@athena.cs.uga.edu (Michael A. Covington)
Newsgroups: comp.org.eff.talk
Subject: Re: Student suspended for distributing /etc/passwd
Message-ID: <1991Jun12.042513.20870@athena.cs.uga.edu>
Date: 12 Jun 91 04:25:13 GMT
References: <31124@hydra.gatech.EDU> <1991Jun11.221521.14402@athena.cs.uga.edu> <1991Jun12.011740.20751@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU>
Organization: University of Georgia, Athens
Lines: 34

In article <1991Jun12.011740.20751@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU> gl8f@astsun7.astro.Virginia.EDU (Greg Lindahl) writes:
>In article <1991Jun11.221521.14402@athena.cs.uga.edu> mcovingt@athena.cs.uga.edu (Michael A. Covington) writes:
>
>>>What if a student runs cops on /etc/passwd... would this
>>>be considered intent to break into a system and could he thus
>>>be suspended?
>>
>>Yes. Obtaining other users' passwords without proper authorization
>>is forbidden. Even if you do it by using a standard software tool
>>rather than by breaking into their desks.
>
>One would hope this was sarcasm, or a complete mis-reading of the
>question, but I'm afraid it probably isn't. Most laws consider such
>things as "intent" -- if the student intends to use the information as
>part of a research paper on security issues (e.g. "30% of the
>passwords were found in the dictionary"), and discards the broken
>passwords, then one could hardly claim that he had evil intent.  Many
>of the laws relating to computer crime don't consider intent, but they
>certainly should.

I wasn't being sarcastic, but I certainly _would_ consider intent.
But a student who wants to run Cops for a legitimate reason should
seek permission _first_, preferably. 

We're quite willing to grant permission for people to do any reasonable
and non-destructive thing they want to. However, I see no reason why
obtaining other people's passwords via Cops should be, prima facie, any
different than obtaining them through other forms of snooping.

-- 
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Michael A. Covington | Artificial Intelligence Programs
The University of Georgia  |  Athens, GA 30602   U.S.A.
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