Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu!usenet.ins.cwru.edu!gatech!prism!gt0812b
From: gt0812b@prism.gatech.EDU (John Adair)
Newsgroups: comp.org.eff.talk
Subject: Re: Student suspended for distributing /etc/passwd
Message-ID: <31259@hydra.gatech.EDU>
Date: 12 Jun 91 23:49:09 GMT
References: <31124@hydra.gatech.EDU>
Organization: Evil Geniuses for a Better Tomorrow
Lines: 34

Why shouldn't a student run COPS?  If my system has holes in it
that COPS reports, then I would fix them.  Then the students
can run COPS all day.  If sysadm's would _USE_ COPS, then
the question would be moot.

As to invading the "privacy" of e-mail (which didn't happen here),
if a sysadm or two grep'ing mail or even occasionally looking
through it by hand is offensive, what about 30 hackers rooting
through it?  I'll always prefer a little lost privacy and "rights"
to ineffective "law enforcement".  If I have a mail message sitting
around that says "the root password for athena.cs.uga.edu is frobiz",
I really deserve to get busted.  

Recently, nearly two labs worth of machines (4 NeXT's, a PS/2,
about 5 macs) were stolen from Georgia Tech.  There were
a limited number of people that could have know the combinations
to the labs.  I would gladly allow a search of my property,
if all of the other "suspects" would be searched as well.
The breach of trust will probably cost us the "last bastion of
free computing" available 24 hours a day to undergrad peons.
If there was any e-mail or news traffic related to the theft,
I would want the people hauled in and questioned, and I wouldn't
give a shit about their "right" to private e-mail.  Luckily,
they were as stupid as I hoped, and they were caught.

One last thing, what "elite group of hackers?"  They don't sound
too elite to me, and they don't sound like LoD/LoH.


--
John Adair  gt0812b%prism@gatech.edu   BITNET: GT0812B%PRISM.GATECH.EDU@GITVM1
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   /<>\     SnailMail: 30812 Georgia Tech Station            Atlanta, GA 30332
  /____\    "I didn't do it.  Nobody saw me do it.  You can't prove anything."