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From: zeil%umass-cs@UDel-Relay@sri-unix.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: WARGAMES
Message-ID: <4707@sri-arpa.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 30-Aug-83 12:02:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.4707
Posted: Tue Aug 30 12:02:00 1983
Date-Received: Fri, 2-Sep-83 17:24:29 EDT
Lines: 22

From:  Steven Zeil <zeil%umass-cs@UDel-Relay>

The following quote is taken from "Software Engineering Notes", the
newsletter for the ACM Special Interest Group on Software Engineering.
The editor, Peter Neumann, is reviewing previously reported bugs
failures in critical computer systems.  One of these bugs occurred on
Nov. 9 1979, when "the effects of a simulated attack were allowed to
propogate into the real world, triggering an alert." - SEN Notes 7/80

In the July 1983 issue, Neumann states,
"It is indeed valuable for us to be aware of pitfalls, both actual and
potential.  (The movie WARGAMES - although technically flawed - is
probably useful in helping to alert the public to some of the latent
problems. [A note is in order for those who carp about the fishy plot
dependence upon dial-up lines to NORAD.  A simulation with an unsuspected
live connection to the defense system is indeed one of the actual problems
noted above!  And easily guessable passwords present a common pitfall in
many systems.  <The movie's reference to "silicone diodes" provides a
parodization in the spirit of earlier uses of "nucular" and "prevert"
{e.g., from Dr. Strangelove}.>])"   - SEN Notes 7/83

                                                              Steve Z.