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From: mike@pyrite.SOM.CWRU.Edu (Michael Kerner)
Newsgroups: comp.virus
Subject: Re: protecting mac files via locking (Mac)
Message-ID: <0012.9106241405.AA24222@ubu.cert.sei.cmu.edu>
Date: 21 Jun 91 23:46:32 GMT
Sender: Virus Discussion List <VIRUS-L@LEHIIBM1>
Lines: 24
Approved: krvw@sei.cmu.edu

NO!  ABSOLUTELY NOT TRUE IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM.  IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO
PROTECT A FILE BY LOCKING IT.  PERIOD.  ABSOLUTELY NOT.  IT DOESN'T HAPPEN.
The only way to protect a file is to have it on a locked volume.  Now I don't
know if SAM is beyond this, because I haven't tried it...yet (hey, c'mon,
I read newsgroups on Internet in what little free time I have between my job
at xxx and handling the lab here.  However, I have an "utility" which will
overwrite any resource in any file, and that's all the more specific I am
going to get about it because I don't want some amateur hack reading this
to get any ideas.  Saying that it can be done is bad enough - it encourages
the ones that don't know ... yet.  At any rate, file locking AND PROTECTING
(via some sector editor) do not stop this "utility" from working - no, it's
not ResEdit, but I haven't tried ResEdit, although I would assume that it
won't work.

So, there is NO WAY to stop a file on an unlocked volume from being written
to, changed, etc.

Sorry.

Mike.
Mac Admin
WSOM CSG
CWRU
mike@pyrite.som.cwru.edu