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
Summary: You tuned in _very_ late...
Message-ID: <1991Jun25.010505.24439@athena.cs.uga.edu>
Date: 25 Jun 91 01:05:05 GMT
References: <31124@hydra.gatech.EDU> <1991Jun24.214045.14965@athena.mit.edu>
Organization: University of Georgia, Athens
Lines: 36

Where were you all month?  People have been giving me grief about this
for a long time. In answer to some of your questions and accusations:

(1) By unauthorized use we mean knowing use of stolen or guessed passwords.
Of course finger, anonftp, etc., are not "unauthorized"; don't be silly.

(2) No email was intercepted. An intruder stored some files on disk without
authorization. Since they did not belong to any known user, we looked at them
to see what they were. One was a saved copy of the infamous email message.
(By the way, we didn't blithely assume that the header on it was genuine;
we checked it out.)

(3) The suspension was imposed by the Student Judiciary after a hearing
before a court of the student's peers. The whole process was monitored by
professional counselors. It was _not_ a matter of some computer science prof
saying "Suspend this student!" and them just doing it. 

(4) The student was suspended, not because of technical details, but because
the court determined that his _intent_ was to endanger the whole computer
system. He was given ample opportunity to explain and defend himself, and
given trained help in doing so.

(5) There is further evidence which I cannot reveal because of ongoing
investigations of related incidents, and because of confidentiality.

(6) Please do not post IMAGINARY SCENARIOS about how unreasonable the
University MIGHT have been. We're talking about a _real_ incident here.




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