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From: tp@wucs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.sources.bugs
Subject: Re: Beware of Blindly Un-SHARing a File
Message-ID: <1617@wucs.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 23-Apr-86 02:15:43 EST
Article-I.D.: wucs.1617
Posted: Wed Apr 23 02:15:43 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 24-Apr-86 06:51:17 EST
References: <947@kitty.UUCP> <2407@prls.UUCP> <1439@garfield.columbia.edu> <2555@utcsri.UUCP> <172@gilbbs.UUCP>
Reply-To: tp@wucs.UUCP (tom patterson)
Followup-To: net.sources.bugs
Distribution: net
Organization: WU ECL/ONC
Lines: 25
Keywords: ``Relink'' April Fool
Summary: tip of the iceberg


   I've been waiting for someone else to say this...

   naughtiness in shar files is only the tip of the iceberg. The program
contained in the shar may do bad things... the makefile that builds the 
program may do bad things...

    doesn't have to be anything malicious  -- I see a lot of makefiles
that would install things where I wouldn't want them or would write over
something important or were just simply incorrect  (a lot of the same can 
be said for the shar files; a lot of authors don't seem to anticipate system 
configurations different from their own).

    anyway, even if you could somehow arrange for secure transmission
of the source, you're not secure from someone who wants to do "bad things" 
or even from someone ignorant.

    if you want to be safe,
	  READ THE WHOLE THING FIRST.

    (do I follow my own advice? not always, but I try to take enough
precautions to avoid catastrophic disasters)

   ...tp...
      tom patterson   tp@wucs.UUCP   {ihnp4, cbosgd, seismo}!wucs!tp