Xref: utzoo comp.unix.questions:5656 comp.unix.wizards:6569 news.sysadmin:552
Path: utzoo!yunexus!geac!daveb
From: daveb@geac.UUCP (David Collier-Brown)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions,comp.unix.wizards,news.sysadmin
Subject: Re: Usenet Security
Keywords: security communications unix
Message-ID: <2308@geac.UUCP>
Date: 21 Feb 88 16:40:55 GMT
Article-I.D.: geac.2308
Posted: Sun Feb 21 11:40:55 1988
References: <108@tron.UUCP> <2739@codas.att.com>
Reply-To: daveb@geac.UUCP (David Collier-Brown)
Organization: Geac, pretending to be Micro/Access
Lines: 27


In article <108@tron.UUCP>, celozzi@tron.UUCP (Dominic J Celozzi) writes:
>> Wanted: information concerning security of usenet and uucp connections.
In article <2739@codas.att.com> mikel@codas.att.com (Mikel Manitius) writes:
>Very simple, if you've got a UNIX machine with a modem, it's not secure.

  To be a bit more specific (:-)), if you have a normal unix system
providing mail which takes the site!site!name notation, you are subject
to having the forwarding mechanism ship all sorts of "interesting"
things through, and if your normal uucp "security" has been reduced
below the default for reasons of usability, you can find yourself
executing a virus..

  A C-secure unix is no help here: you need a B- or C-secure
machine, and a secure communications processor (the A-secure gutted
Unix of yore).  Uucp is formally insecure.

 --dave
ps: the letters refer to a US security standard. B means your are
resistant to penetration and have a second, separate set of
non-overridable file permissions (as a minimum).  C is less so, and D
means "you flunked".
-- 
 David Collier-Brown.                 {mnetor yunexus utgpu}!geac!daveb
 Geac Computers International Inc.,   |  Computer Science loses its
 350 Steelcase Road,Markham, Ontario, |  memory (if not its mind) 
 CANADA, L3R 1B3 (416) 475-0525 x3279 |  every 6 months.