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From: rjd@tiger.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: Hacker Scholarship
Message-ID: <140200002@tiger.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 25-Jun-87 16:47:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: tiger.140200002
Posted: Thu Jun 25 16:47:00 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 27-Jun-87 08:43:45 EDT
References: <2757@mtgzz.UUCP>
Lines: 39
Nf-ID: #R:mtgzz.UUCP:-275700:tiger.UUCP:140200002:000:1991
Nf-From: tiger.UUCP!rjd    Jun 25 15:47:00 1987


> Written by roger@celtics.UUCP:
> And, in the same vein:
> 
> - Don't blame the burglar, blame the guy with inadequate alarms.
> - Don't blame the murderer, blame the guy who goes out without
>   suitable body armor.
> - Don't blame the rapist, blame the woman who's "asking for it"...
> 
> Don't walk down the street at night.
> Don't answer your door.
> Don't answer your phone.
> Lock up your daughters...
> 
> Why do people seem to think that the advent of computers has liberated
> them from moral education?  Electronic crime is still crime.  Would you
> papplaud your local police picking up street gang members, and, instead of
> punishing them, paying them to teach how to perform assaults?  I agree
> that it is important to beef up security... but this "aren't hackers 
> cute?" mentality is the MAJOR threat.  Someone who destroys a financial
> record should be jailed for robbery.  It's THAT simple.  I don't care
> if your tool is a jimmy or a keyboard.  Scum is scum, no matter how
> high-tech the pond it's floating atop.

   This is getting pretty stupid.  There are only a finite number of security
holes.  If the people trained to find them help close them, it is doing
everybody good.  I have found a few and have told the affected administrators
about them.  If they exploit them, there ARE laws (albeit hard to enforce and
prove).  Equating this to rape and murder is stupid.  Equating this to leaving
an EXPENSIVE package in an UNLOCKED car (with the windows down and a flashing
light on top and sign reading STEAL ME) in a parking lot is closer - great
value at almost no risk with normally only monetary hurt.  Come on people, wake
up to the real world.  Ignoring them and acting as if law enforcment will
eradicate computer security holes is pretty ridiculous.  A formal course in
security training will more than likely develop a defense against those
informally trained, even if a percentage of those formally trained use their
knowledge illegally.

Randy Davis